BUDI95 SEES NEARLY THREE MILLION USERS, SALES EXCEED RM91 MILLION IN FOUR DAYS - AMIR HAMZAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) targeted subsidy initiative has recorded nearly three million users with sales exceeding RM91 million over the first four days, says Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

He said as of 6 pm today alone, about two million users had benefited from the subsidised RON95 petrol price of RM1.99 a litre, following the full rollout of the initiative to all eligible Malaysians at midnight.

“Alhamdulillah, the movement we observed today was smooth, with not many complaints received.

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“Vehicle traffic may have been heavier than usual as many were excited to enjoy the lower fuel price,” he told reporters during a visit to monitor the implementation of BUDI95 at the Petronas Sri Hartamas station here today.

He added that the government was also in discussions with the Sabah and Sarawak state governments to enable boat owners to benefit from BUDI95.

“We have received feedback from those with outboard engine boats who are not yet eligible for the subsidy. In principle, we have agreed to extend the eligibility, which will be determined according to set criteria.

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“So, we are currently discussing with the Sabah and Sarawak governments, where data from boat owners will be incorporated into the system so they can also qualify,” he said.

Amir also explained that flexibility was given to those whose driving licences had expired for less than three years.

“We are still allowing them to receive BUDI95 while encouraging them to renew their licences, as the key point is to ensure they hold a valid licence when driving,” he said.

BUDI95 was introduced in phases beginning Sept 27, with 300,000 Malaysian Armed Forces and Royal Malaysia Police personnel, before being expanded to more than five million Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) recipients in the B40 category on Sunday.

A total of 16 million Malaysians aged 16 and above with a MyKad and a valid driving licence are eligible to enjoy the subsidised RON95 petrol price of RM1.99 a litre, with each individual entitled to up to 300 litres a month.

The Finance Ministry (MOF) previously announced that the unsubsidised retail price of RON95 petrol was set at RM2.60 a litre for the period from Sept 30 to Oct 8.

-- BERNAMA