Jelaskan bagaimana gabungan GST-SST akan dilaksana, kerajaan diberitahu

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim announced during the 2027 Budget Committee that the government is studying the possibility of merging the features of GST and SST to improve Malaysia's taxation system. Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, the Chief Spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, urged the government to explain how the integration of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Sales Tax (SST) features would be implemented.

He cautioned that such a significant change should not be implemented arbitrarily due to potential impacts on users and businesses. Wan Fayhsal pointed out that GST and SST have different structures and if they were to be merged, the general public and the business community have the right to know the mechanism, tax rates, scope of goods and services, registration threshold, and how input tax credits would be controlled.

He warned that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are already facing numerous changes such as e-invoices, in addition to the increased costs of raw materials, utilities, energy, logistics, and wages. Any new tax system would add to these costs, ranging from software and staff training to accounting fees and invoicing modifications.

Wan Fayhsal urged the government to present a thorough impact assessment and cost analysis before announcing the new tax framework. He emphasized that the government should not just announce slogans and think about implementation later. Previously, the Finance Ministry had rejected calls to revert to GST, stating it would only be considered after Malaysia's median wage exceeds RM4,000.

Wan Fayhsal also questioned why GST elements were needed if the government considered SST a more targeted system. "The public does not need another name for a tax; they need stability, certainty, ease of compliance, and assurance that tax changes won't increase living costs," he said. Without further details on the system, tax rates, and impact assessment, the general public might view the proposal as another "Madani" tax.