Ismail said this comprised 20% of M40 households which previously had a monthly income of between RM4,850 and RM10,959.

He also said that according to data provided by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the incidence of absolute poverty had increased to 8.4% in 2020 from 5.6% in 2019.

“The government has conducted a socio-economic impact study in regards to the pandemic and movement control order.

“Based on the Household Income and Poverty Incidence report by DOSM, as many as 20% or about 580,000 households from the M40 group of households earning between RM4,850 and RM10,959 have shifted to the income limit under the B40 group,” he said.

Ismail noted that an increase in the unemployment rate had contributed to a reduction of income for M40 and B40 households, in turn increasing the number of households below the poverty line.

Ismail’s written reply came in response to a question from Kesavan Subramaniam (PH-Sungai Siput) and Natrah Ismail (PH-Sekijang), who wanted to know whether the government was planning to revise the poverty line threshold.

He said the government would review the poverty line income threshold together with Household Income and Basic Amenities in 2022.

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