Budget 2026 and the squeezed middle: How to rebuild confidence without breaking the budget


  • Comment
  • Friday, 10 Oct 2025

IN OUR earlier commentary, Budget 2026: From B40 to B70, Redefining Malaysia's Middle Class, EMIR Research argued that Malaysia’s deepest fiscal challenge lies not merely in managing debt but in recognising the erosion of its true middle class.

The so-called M40 is no longer the secure, upwardly mobile core of society that official classifications suggest. Instead, it is a squeezed, stretched and anxious middle, caught between rising living costs, stagnant wages and thinning buffers of savings.

11.11 Flash Sale! Get 40% OFF Digital Access!

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 8.34/month

Billed as RM 8.34 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 7.40/month

Billed as RM 88.80 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Columnists

It won’t be a mini Cabinet reshuffle
Nicol acts. When will the rest follow?�
Super app for better transit needs
Are two heads better than one?
Making a better racket
Shifting battle lines of democracy
Remembering a Malaysian hero�
Water taxi dream still afloat
A shift in power lines as Arsenal stumble, Liverpool collapse, and City rise
Can Asean leverage China’s Global Civilisation Initiative to boost green economic transition?

Others Also Read