Anwar said the government did not want to burden the people.

“There is an urgency to increase the electricity tariff as the country’s finances are expected to be negatively impacted by at least RM30 billion next year. So, only multinational corporations (MNC) that export products will be charged,” he said at a press conference today.

Anwar said the increase in tariffs for MNCs will be gradual so as to not disrupt their business operations and projections.

Small and medium-sized enterprises as well as food and agriculture companies will not face increased electricity charges, he said.

Anwar said the government only sought to increase tariffs for the wealthy and large corporations.

He said natural resources, environment and climate change minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad will make an announcement on the matter soon.

In January, the Energy Commission announced that there would be no increase in electricity charges for residential consumers in the Peninsula until Dec 31, 2024.

However, a surcharge of 3.7 sen/kWj will be imposed on all non-domestic users, such as commercial and industrial companies.

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.