TAKING home a high salary may look good on paper, but everyone has different commitments — and what seems like a lot to one person can feel insufficient to another.
One middle-aged man submitted an anonymous account sharing his struggles supporting his family despite earning slightly over RM10,000 a month.
The father of two primary school children admitted that while he had no issue ensuring the family was fed, clothed, and up to date with bill payments, he lamented that his monthly expenses were “barely manageable”.
He came to this realisation after completing his personal income tax relief form for the year, feeling conflicted upon seeing his increased income — grateful on one hand, but overwhelmed by the pressures of life on the other.
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The man explained that his high earnings did not necessarily translate into meaningful savings, citing the rising cost of living along with other expenses such as housing and car loans, expensive tuition and extracurricular activities for the children, as well as “all kinds of unexpected household costs”.
“People like us — the ‘sandwiched’ middle class — we earn not too much and not too little. We don’t qualify for government aid, our kids’ grades aren’t top-tier enough to get scholarships, and our salary increments never seem to catch up with inflation.
“After years of hard work, my heart feels more and more empty,” he wrote in his post.
He also claimed that a relative working in Singapore had returned to Malaysia and was still eligible for various forms of aid and subsidies, raising questions about the government’s distribution of support.
“We, who stayed here and paid taxes honestly, get nothing in return. Is that really fair?
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to pay taxes — I know it’s a citizen’s duty. But sometimes I wonder, has the government truly seen us — the middle-class families who quietly shoulder our responsibilities?” he added.
He went on to express a desire to quit his job and pursue something he is passionate about, but said he does not dare to take that leap due to his financial obligations and responsibilities to his family — leaving him feeling exhausted and unfulfilled.
He hoped for the silent burdens he carries as a middle-income earner to be seen and understood.
