KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Taxi Coalition has expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the MADANI government for addressing taxi driver welfare in Budget 2026.
President Kamarudin Hussain welcomed the government’s commitment to allocate RM10 million for training fees and allowances.
He revealed that the training allocation was among proposals presented to the government last year to improve the taxi industry’s image.
“This was something we presented to the Prime Minister last year about a new image that will give a better impression within our country,” he said.
He noted the proposal also included replacing ageing and outdated taxi vehicles.
“One of the items in the proposal we presented for taxi rebranding was for courses to enhance the quality of drivers,” he added.
Kamarudin said these courses would cover customer treatment and communication skills.
He acknowledged that comprehensive taxi service rebranding has not yet been fully realised.
The Prime Minister’s Budget 2026 announcement demonstrates government efforts toward making this vision a reality.
Anwar Ibrahim also announced maintained 100% excise duty and sales tax exemptions for eligible taxi owners.
These full tax exemptions apply to purchases of new national cars from Proton and Perodua.
Private hire vehicle drivers also qualify for these tax exemptions on national car purchases.
The announcements were made during the Budget 2026 tabling in Parliament today. – Bernama
