Ismail Sabri keen on reviving GST

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 31 May 2022 8:10PM · 2 Comments

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob says the abolition of GST has cost the country RM20 billion a year in revenue. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, May 31, 2022.

PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government is keen to revive the goods and services tax (GST), according to Nikkei.

Former prime minister Najib Razak introduced the controversial tax in 2015, but it was scrapped three years later by Pakatan Harapan prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as part of the coalition’s election manifesto pledge.

Ismail said the government is aware of GST’s unpopularity but had limited options, adding that its abolition had cost the country RM20 billion in annual revenue.

He said the government would set a rate of minimal impact to taxpayers.

The country is saddled with spiralling subsidies and the government is looking to make up the shortfall with RM28 billion due to go on fuel subsidies alone in 2022, plus subsidies for cooking oil, sugar and flour. – May 31, 2022.

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Comments

  • GST was not the problem. The problem was GST refunds were not processed efficiently causing the merchants to have to raise the price of goods. Will it be any different this time? Same civil servants, same government, with no sign of any capable ministers so how can the result be different?

    Posted 4 years ago by Loyal Malaysian · Reply

  • Stop over indulgence & wastages of our tax monies!

    Posted 4 years ago by Geoff Ng · Reply