Tax the rich more to improve health care and education

COMMENT | The budget for 2025 has been tabled in parliament. This happens to be the biggest budget in Malaysia’s history, but that’s not surprising.

The largest budget in Malaysia’s history is always the most recent budget. I don’t think the last budget has ever exceeded the previous budget.

But I could be wrong. You might want to check out Kini News Lab to be sure, as their excellent data-driven journalism leaves no stone unturned!

It is said that a budget is a budget for the people. Let me repeat: has there ever been a budget that did not claim to be for the people?

In any case, there are several elements in the budget that, in my opinion, contradict the fact that it is intended to be a budget for the people. Let’s see if I can identify it and explain it to everyone. Then we’ll see if everyone agrees with me or not.

Firstly, the new budget has established that T15 Malaysians will have to pay extra for public healthcare. Because they are considered high-income earners, they can afford to pay more.

The same applies to education. The same T15 group will have to pay more for their children attending elite boarding schools such as Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) and full boarding schools (SBP).

I understand that from the government’s perspective this is essentially taxing the rich rather than the poor. However, I think a better method would be…