JOHOR Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has taken a leaf from MCA and joined in their call for the return of the much-hated goods and services tax (GST).
During a state assembly meeting, Onn Hafiz addressed the issue of high living costs raised by assemblymen. This is when he suggested that the federal government should bring back the GST.
He noted that the state government trusts Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s assurance that the rationalisation implementation would not burden the people.
“Before making a decision, the state government hopes the federal government will consider reimplementing GST as an additional income source to support the people. Economic experts have stated that GST is the best taxation system for a country.
“The public has expressed concerns about the proposed rationalisation of subsidies, particularly regarding the increase in petrol and diesel prices.
“The state government shares concerns about the potential domino effect and inflation rise once subsidy rationalisation is enforced,” he added.
Last week, MCA stated that Putrajaya must reintroduce the GST to help people adjust to the rising cost of living resulting from the removal of fuel subsidies.
MCA cost of living committee head Monna Ong said Malaysians were already burdened by the hike in the sales and services tax (SST) rates from 6% to 8%.
The situation was further aggravated by the introduction of new taxes and the expansion of the SST tax scope, according to her.
“All this has burdened the people at all levels too much,” she said.
People will be further taxed when the fuel subsidies are removed this year, she added, urging the government to reintroduce the GST, which the government itself had said was more transparent, fair, and less burdensome than the SST. – May 19, 2024
