Fuziah: Government to step up monitoring of petrol stations ahead of RON95 subsidy restructuring

ALOR SETAR, July 25 — The government will intensify monitoring at all petrol stations to prevent misuse of subsidised RON95 fuel once the subsidy rationalisation programme is implemented, said Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh.

She said the ministry is preparing for various scenarios and enforcement officers will be on high alert during inspections.

“The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has taken these possibilities into account. For example, we’re looking at situations where a single MyKad is used multiple times in a day. We are aware of such practices and are identifying measures to curb them,” she said during an Op Kesan 4.0 inspection at a supermarket today.

Fuziah explained that the use of MyKad is crucial to ensure that only eligible Malaysians benefit from the subsidy and to help the government monitor any unusual fuel purchasing patterns, such as exceeding the allowable limit per vehicle.

She added that the system’s records will enable authorities to detect suspicious activity, such as excessive purchases made with the same MyKad at different times of the day.

“It would be difficult to abuse the system because we’ll be able to spot repeated use of a single MyKad — morning, noon, and night — through the data we collect,” she said.

On Op Kesan 4.0, which was launched following the revised sales and expanded service tax (SST) rates effective July 1, Fuziah said a total of 950 premises were inspected nationwide, involving 3,965 stock-keeping units (SKUs).

She noted that 950 price information notices were issued under Section 21 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), with 23 complaints received for further investigation.

Op Kesan 4.0 aims to prevent businesses from taking advantage of the SST changes to hike prices unfairly or engage in profiteering. — Bernama