Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
From Our Readers
Nation's finances were just fine without GST

LETTER | Yes, there are fake news and false reports directly aimed at the public. This includes some form our ministers depending on how you look at it.

Like for example, the prime minister says, “ […] when GST is removed (abolished) the country debts will increase and so do you want the country to end up like Greece?”

This is a sort of “threat”, a fake and false news to take the public for a ride.

It seems the government collects something like RM45 billion from the GST annually to help them undertake programmes such as educational aid, assistance to smallholders and fishermen, as well as for the BRIM.

Indeed, this is good but the rakyat reckons that these payments should come off from funds already allocated in the annual budget such as how it used to be before. Now, they even have to make a new budget for BRIM.

Since Independence, the government has been running the country at full throttle and obviously, there were enough funds to undertake various programmes. So the fact that the government now needs more revenue to run a similar set of programmes et cetera is worrisome.

Newcomers to the block could be led to believe what the PM says but not the senior citizens who have seen and gone through the good times over the years.

You see, they were spared the GST tax right from 1957 to 2015 yet the nation’s economy remained buoyant and strong.

There was no GST yet there was enough revenue to undertake the various government programmes in the country year in and year out.

And, moreover, to think about it, the government even subsidised the prices of petrol and yet still had money to run the nation.

Today, the government had withdrawn subsidies on petrol and varied items but there is a deficit.

So if you get to see the fine print you will agree that the rakyat is being used as a scapegoat to help pay for the running of various government programmes including paying for our own BRIM.


The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

ADS