KUCHING: Budget 2027 should include targeted measures to ease the financial pressures faced by middle-income families in Sarawak.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Kuching branch acting secretary and youth chief, Nicholas Wung Duk Ying, said while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s indication that the upcoming Budget would include measures for the M40 group was welcome, the assistance must address their actual cost of living.
“Many M40 families may appear stable on paper, but they still have to manage their monthly expenses carefully.
“They have income, responsibilities and commitments, but often do not qualify for most cash aid or subsidies,” he said in a statement today.
Wung said M40 households, including young families, professionals, workers, small traders and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) operators, continued to face rising housing and car loans, childcare and education expenses, healthcare, insurance, transport and daily necessities.
He proposed expanding personal income tax relief for expenses such as children’s education and childcare, parents’ medical needs, insurance, skills training and digital devices.
Wung said grassroots engagement showed young M40 families in Kuching were particularly concerned about housing loans, childcare fees, children’s education, food, transport and supporting elderly parents.
He also urged the Federal Government to consider Sarawak’s distinct cost pressures when formulating M40 policies, citing the state’s vast geography, higher logistics costs and reliance on air travel for education, employment, medical treatment and family matters.
“If policies only look at income figures without considering regional costs, they will not be truly fair,” he said.
Wung suggested that the Finance Ministry study an East Malaysia-focused middle-income relief mechanism under Budget 2027, particularly for transport, logistics and household expenses.
He added that small traders and SME operators were also facing higher rental, labour, raw material, electricity and operating costs.
Tax incentives, low-interest financing, digital transformation grants and business training, he said, could help businesses remain competitive.
“The Prime Minister’s focus on the M40 group is a positive signal.
“What matters now is that the government listens to families, youths, traders, professionals and local communities before finalising the measures,” he added.
