Jemaah Menteri arah kajian integrasi GST-SST

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan to conduct a comprehensive study on integrating the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Sales and Services Tax (SST), according to a senior government spokesman. The study will examine lessons from existing GST systems and issues arising from the SST system, which is not yet allocated a specific timeframe.

The finance ministry has been given ample time to prepare a report, as it is not a rushed matter. No specific timeframe for the study has been set, and it is unclear whether the proposal will be included in the upcoming federal budget. Malaysia introduced GST at a rate of 6% in April 2015, which was later reduced to zero in June 2018, and replaced with SST in September 2018.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed openness to reviewing a system that combines elements of GST and SST to create a more progressive tax structure. Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Border Management Plan, which includes managing the border-related aspects of this proposal, has been launched by the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA).

The plan has been approved by the Council of Ministers for immediate action, starting from today, according to Fahmi Fadzil, a government spokesman. The MoHA has additional details regarding the plan.