BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the assistive basic income scheme would see funds credited directly to households earning less than RM2,208 a month.
This “top-up”, he said, was to ensure that each household had at least RM2,208 a month, as part of braving the high cost of living.
Zahid also said BN will provide a 2% income tax cut for those in the M40 earning between RM50,000 to RM100,000 annually.
“This will surely increase the M40s spending power and reduce their financial burdens,” said Zahid, in launching the BN manifesto tonight.
A BN government will also make higher education free of charge for all B40 students and move towards doing away with textbooks in schools as part of digitising the education system.
Instead, learning will be conducted on laptops.
“For this, BN will give free laptops to all B40 students and ensure that all schools will have 5G internet access within 18 months,” said the Umno president.
Public higher education institutions will also offer hybrid systems, where half of lessons will be held online and the rest in campus, so as to reduce the cost of studies.
Meanwhile, all varsity students who undergo practicals or internships are required to be paid allowances by their employers.
He also pledged free early childhood care and education for all children aged six and below, to help reduce the cost of living for young families.
To encourage diversity in the private sector, BN pledged to incentivise hiring workers of different races, genders and backgrounds by offering tax incentives to companies that had diversity at the management level.
“Meanwhile, we want issues like sexual harassment, as well as disparity in wages, remuneration and treatment due to gender, to be eradicated by studying the establishment of a Gender Equality Tribunal and forming an Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal.”
Zahid also said BN will abolish approved permits for the import of all electric cars, to create wider access to affordable yet eco-friendly vehicles.
BN will also enact an Elderly Care Act that will seek to improve the functions and capabilities of NGOs that manage care centres for senior citizens and the disabled, with an allocation of RM105 million for five years.