KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said that he is not attempting to play the role of "Robin Hood” cutting subsidies for higher-income Malaysians in Budget 2025.

Anwar explained that he is being fair in supporting lower-income households, rather than merely robbing the rich to give to the poor like the English folklore character.

"To assist the poor effectively, we must have adequate resources. We inherited debts of RM1.5 trillion, and we do not wish to impose heavy taxes on the people. Instead, we are placing a modest tax on the ultra-wealthy.

"This is not about playing Robin Hood, it’s simply a matter of withdrawing subsidies,” he said during a dialogue event at Universito Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) here.

He then went on to say that Malaysia ranks among the highest in subsidies and lowest in tax rates globally.

He also said that even some of the wealthiest individuals had previously benefited from government-provided electricity subsidies.

"Some of the wealthiest individuals in the country previously benefited from government electricity subsidies under past policies, and the government now simply asks them to cover the actual cost, which I see as fair.

"If some parties choose to politicise this issue by calling it unfair or unreasonable, it’s likely because it impacts their business interests,” he added.

Last month, former finance minister Lim Guan Eng also similarly defended Anwar from comparisons to English folklore hero Robin Hood who robbed the rich and gave to the poor.

Instead, he said the comparisons were due to some of Anwar’s remarks being taken out of context; the prime minister used the term "ultra rich” when describing the top 15 per cent of income earners in the country.

Lim today said this was not a fair label to apply on the group, which he said included households earning around RM15,000 a month and contributed to the country’s public coffers through taxes.

In this RM421 billion Budget 2025, Anwar said the government would retarget RON95 subsidies to eliminate assistance from the top 15 per cent households — dubbed T15.