Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying said the total claims involved 1.27 million beneficiaries, including B40 individuals and their spouses between the ages 18 to 65 years old who are recipients of the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR).
She said that the payment involved claims for hospitalisation benefits, critical illness, patients under investigation, and COVID-19, as well as claims for medical device costs.
The year 2022 recorded the highest claims payment of RM382 million, which benefited 650,000 beneficiaries, followed by 2021 with claims of RM246.72 million for 365,000 beneficiaries, she said in the Senate on Wednesday.
She was replying to Senator Dr Lingeshwaran R Arunasalam's supplementary question regarding the amount of compensation paid by the government.
According to Lim, it is estimated that more than 10.92 million Malaysians comprising the B40 group are eligible to receive benefits from the MySalam scheme this year.
"Selangor registered the highest number of eligible recipients at 1.48 million, followed by Johor at 1.34 million and Sarawak at 1.13 million, while Kelantan's number of eligible recipients stood at 825,000," she added.
Meanwhile, Lim said the average number of taxpayers claiming tax deductions for life insurance premiums for the assessment years 2019 to 2023 stood at 2.14 million per year.
She said the deductions would amount to tax payment savings of RM635 million per year.
Additionally, the average number of taxpayers who claim tax deductions for education and medical insurance premiums for the same period stands at two million a year, giving a total tax payment savings of RM611 million a year, she said.
Lim was replying to Senator Datuk Seri Zurainah Musa's question about individuals who enjoy medical and life insurance tax relief.
-- BERNAMA
