KOTA KINABALU: The city’s Warisan branch has urged the state government to address what it claims are hidden electricity tariff hikes in Sabah through a quietly restructured tiered billing system.
Its information chief, Samuel Wong said that although the state recently announced a six-month waiver of the electricity surcharge under the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) mechanism, Sabahans are still experiencing rising bills due to a more complicated and punishing tier structure.
“The government says there’s no surcharge, but our bills tell a different story. What Sabahans are facing is a hidden tariff hike, not through official announcements, but via subtle changes to how electricity usage is charged,” he said in a statement.
He explained that in 2022, there were five usage tiers ranging from RM0.175 to RM0.450 per 100 units. However, by 2025, the structure expanded to seven tiers, with a new highest rate of RM0.470 per 100 units.
“This expansion and reshuffling of thresholds means ordinary households are now more likely to hit the highest rate even with moderate usage. It’s a disguised price hike,” he said.
Wong contrasted Sabah’s situation with upcoming reforms in Peninsular Malaysia, where the tiered system will be scrapped by July 2025 in favour of real-time tariff reviews based on actual fuel prices and foreign exchange rates.
“The peninsula is seeing meaningful reform. What about us in Sabah? Is the GRS-Pakatan Harapan government even trying to fight for a fair deal for us?” he asked.
He also urged the government to abolish the 8% Sales and Service Tax (SST) imposed on residential electricity usage, calling it a burden on essential needs.
“Electricity is essential. Why are we taxing families who are already overpaying under a broken system?” he said.
Wong called on Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and the state government to fully disclose the current tariff structure and present a clear roadmap for reform.
“Sabahans have paid more than enough. We need answers, we need reform, and we need action now,” he said.
