No plans to reintroduce GST, says Anwar
RAIHAM MOHD SANUSI FARAH SHAZWANI ALI
KUALA LUMPUR - The government has no plans to reintroduce the goods and service tax (GST) and other broad-based consumption taxes to address the national debt.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said other measures will be taken to reduce expenses and reduce government's liabilities and debt, adding that the country's debt is now at RM1.5 trillion which represents 82 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"What we must enforce is to loosen the subsidy for the richer groups such as the electricity supply.
"I previously stated that even though it was the decision of the previous government to raise the electricity tariff, the government now has cancelled such plans and applied it to the T20 (high income group), multinational companies and major companies other than those involved in food safety," he said.
He said this during the Minister's Question Time (MQT) today.
He was replying to an additional question by Wong Kah Woh (PH-Taiping) on whether the government was planning to introduce a new tax to overcome the nation's debt.
The finance minister said the government has taken steps towards improving the country's governance as billions of ringgit were lost due to poor management and leakages.
"These matters will be discussed in the tabling of the 2023 Budget on Feb 24," he said.
