{
  "id": 12083833,
  "title": "Fuel subsidy spending plunges as targeted welfare aid surges in 2025",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/fuel-subsidy-spending-plunges-as-targeted-welfare-aid-surges-in-2025",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-05T05:21:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Vibes",
    "slug": "the-vibes",
    "url": "https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/128000/fuel-subsidy-spending-plunges-as-targeted-welfare-aid-surges-in-2025"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2025, the Malaysian Federal Government saw a significant decrease in fuel subsidy spending, with overall welfare allocations surging. Federal debt reports indicated that subsidy spending fell by 40.1 percent to RM23.43 billion from RM39.10 billion the previous year. This decline was primarily due to reduced petroleum subsidies, which dropped by 45.2 percent to RM19.11 billion, resulting from lower crude oil prices and targeted diesel and petrol subsidies introduced in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Crude oil averaged US$69.05 a barrel in 2025, compared to US$80.82 a barrel in 2024. Meanwhile, grants and aid for individuals and families increased by 380.8 percent, reaching RM20.36 billion from RM4.24 billion. This rise was attributed to targeted assistance programmes, such as Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA), and Budi Madani. The Finance Ministry acknowledged the shift in spending, aiming to generate savings from targeted diesel and RON95 subsidies to support vulnerable groups.",
  "summary": "FEDERAL Government subsidy spending fell 40.1 per cent to RM23.43 billion in 2025 from RM39.10 billion a year earlier, driven mainly by lower petroleum subsidies following the targeting of diesel and petrol assistance, according to the Auditor-Genera...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}