PM: No electricity tariff increase for households, SMEs

The government has decided to not increase tariffs for households, small and medium enterprises and food and agricultural companies, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

This is despite an earlier proposal to do so, he said at a press conference in Putrajaya after a cabinet meeting today. 

Anwar said higher electricity tariffs should instead be enforced on multinational corporations, which will be announced by Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

"Nik Nazmi will make an announcement so that if (tariffs are) introduced, (this would be for) multinational corporations that export, as the tariffs are (currently) too low for them.  

"Subsidies should not be given to giant multinational corporations with high profit. SMEs, agricultural companies and food production companies will not be affected (by tariffs)," he said. 

Anwar, who is Pakatan Harapan chairperson, said the tariff hikes for multinational companies will be done gradually, and reasonably so as to not disrupt their operations. 

No salary for Agong since pandemic

On a separate development, Anwar said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has not drawn a salary since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"This is earlier than me. He has not accepted any salary from the government since Covid," he said, adding that this was Agong's contribution to pressing economic issues faced by the country. 

The PKR president previously declared that he will not receive any salary for his role as prime minister and finance minister.

At the same time, Anwar declared that all cabinet ministers had agreed to take a 20 percent pay cut until Malaysia reached economic recovery, as their way to acknowledge the tough times faced by the people. 

On the issue of floods in Kelantan, Anwar said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will head to the state tomorrow to identify issues for early prevention measures. 

"Zahid had chaired meetings and conducted surveys. He will be going to Kelantan tomorrow to identify the problems and take early measures, to prevent waiting until the flood (disaster)," he said.

It was previously reported that Kelantan flood evacuees were on the rise. 

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