PETALING JAYA: It is unfair to categorise individuals under the top 15% income group (T15) as “ultra rich” based solely on their household income, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. The MCA president said the T15 group, labelled as ultra-wealthy by the government, appears to consist of prominent business and corporate figures, many of whom carry titles such as Datuk and Datuk Seri. “These individuals reportedly possess immense wealth and assets, often running into millions or billions, and own numerous bungalows and luxury cars.
They are also known for their frequent travels abroad via private jets,” he said in a video posted in his Facebook page. Dr Wee, however, said T15 also includes people who are not millionaires – some not even particularly wealthy. "Take, for example, a married couple who are both teachers at the DG48 level, having taught for 15 years, with a combined income of around RM14,000 a month.
"They own a house, two cars, and have three children. "Similarly, a couple who are both civil servants or PTD officers are also classified as T15 ultra-wealthy. Is this logical?" he asked.
Dr Wee also said those working in statutory bodies or government-linked companies (GLCs), where salaries are typically higher than in the government sector can also be considered as part of the T15 group. He said according to the Household Income Survey (HIS) and Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) in the open data system by Malaysia’s Department of Statistics as o.