Kembalikan GST, tak perlu bina sistem hibrid rumit, kata Ahli Parlimen DAP

Pulau Perak MP Lim Lip Eng suggests the government should revert to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) instead of attempting to combine the sales and services tax (SST) with GST. As a DAP representative, he argued that Malaysia should seriously consider bringing back the GST, a consumption tax introduced in April 2015 at a rate of 6% before being scrapped in June 2018.

If addressing SST's shortcomings means combining GST into SST, the government must also consider designing a better GST with stronger protections, faster rebates, and assistance for low-income earners. The tax base should be based on effectiveness, not what we call it. Don't build a complex hybrid to avoid using the GST name. If GST functions better, restore it properly, the MP said in a statement.

According to him, most countries use GST, making it a potentially best answer for Malaysia. At least 176 countries are using GST. There is no international peer for Malaysia's SST-like GST. More importantly, no country uses the hybrid SST-GST like the government is considering.

DAP Kuala Lumpur emphasized that Malaysia is expected to collect RM59.6 billion from SST this year. Before creating a new hybrid, the government needs to show the real figures to the public. How much of the RM59.6 billion will be collected from businesses? How much will need to be refunded? How quickly will rebates be made? How much actual benefit will remain with the government?

Which sectors will still be taxed on top of the tax? These details are crucial as they will determine whether the new system is easier, fairer, and more effective than the existing one.