After petrol hike, expect to pay more with GST

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YOURSAY ‘Soon M’sians will have to sell their kidneys to sustain themselves.’

RON 95, diesel to go up 20 sen at midnight

Mosquitobrain : Diesel and RON95 petrol price increase again? Why lament?

Are you going to protest and stop patronising all the petrol stations? Impossible. At the end of the day, your cars still need fuel to run.

Can this caring government enlighten us the actual refinery production cost per litre for diesel and RON95? Otherwise, we assume oil companies are reaping handsome profits and the government is collecting huge royalties and taxes from the refineries.

If this is so, then why need to reduce fuel subsidies and burden the people? We've already seen in the last five years drastic cut in fuel subsidies.

Oh Ya?: Pushing up petrol price at a time when world crude oil prices have tumbled and the ringgit has strengthened against the US dollar which pays for the petrol? Where is the justification?

Isn't BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia) payout a form of subsidy? What about the billions debts that are incurred by 1MDB to pay for old IPPs (independent power producers) and controversial land acquisitions?

And what about the leakages pocketed by rent seekers, crony capitalists and corrupted politicians and officials?

Swipenter: What is the Umno Baru government going to do with the savings from the reduced subsidy in fuel prices?

I don't mind subsidy rationalisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) but what I am sore is the massive leakages, wastage and corruption that is going on in the country with no political will in sight to solve this deadly cancer.

What about improvements in the government delivery systems and public services? Just one heavy rainfall and Kuala Lumpur is turned into a lake ?

What is so smart about the Smart Tunnel in tackling flash floods and channeling excessive rainwater out of KL which is one of its sole purpose?

What is happening to our billions of ringgit in 1MDB? Don’t we have the right to know where and how tax monies are being used?

Ah-hah!!!: Just like how the fuel prices have gone up 20 sen when world prices are down, one wonders how the talk of a TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad) rate hike can be justified.

After all, according to a report on Sept 29, TNB "is expected to announce record earnings" for 2014. Estimates range from RM5.13 billion to RM6.41 billing.

It reminds me of how POS Malaysia and Telekom were also able to post wonderful profits after hikes.

FairMind: In the next few days, you can be sure that the BN sycophants will come out to say that Malaysia, despite the increase in petrol price, still has one of the lowest petrol prices in the world.

Sure, they will keep quiet that Malaysia is a oil producing country and has one of the highest toll charges and car prices in the world with one of the worst bus/transport services, inflation rates, parking fees, traffic system, traffic fines and corrupt police asking for bribes.

If you are driving a lorry you have a 95 percent chance that the police will stop and check your goods. Very soon, Malaysians have to sell their kidneys to sustain themselves.

Meanwhile, BN will dish out more feel-good factors - that Islam, royalty and Malays' special rights are protected by Umno to soothe the pains of the petrol price rise.

Fair Play: As the saying goes, 'when it rains, it pours'. So would be the suffering (caused by inflationary pressure) of the lower and middle income groups when GST and another round of borrowing costs hike in 2015.

These coupled with imported inflationary pressure due to a weaker ringgit will pose a real challenge for most Malaysians.

Anon1: How is the government going to spend if they don't reduce subsidies along with curbing wastage, corruption, white elephant projects, illegal outflow of funds, etc?

If subsidies are not reduced, taxes not raised and more new ingenious methods of taxation not introduced, a bankrupt nation will ensue.

Gaji Buta: Malaysians, especially blue collar and low-level white collar workers, need to realise that most of them are living beyond their means.

One-third of their salary is being used to pay for car installment, another one-third for house installment, hiring a maid while the wife goes out for a measly job which can't even cover the maid's cost, three to four kids to feed, wages kept low by greedy businessmen who employ foreign labour, etc, etc.

However, there’s saying I heard when I was a kid - 'biar papa asal bergaya'.

TCC: How can BR1M cash handout once or twice a year help cushion price increases generally? Who is advising the government on economic policies?

I get a handout in the morning and by afternoon I would have handed it to the shops. By nightfall, I would be the same poor guy that I was that morning before I got the handout.

Doc: RON 95 price going up in Malaysia but our jet-setting PM and FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia) are burning jet fuel like there is no tomorrow.

I bet this 20 sen hike in RON 95 will go towards covering the cost of our PM and his wife's numerous (and may more to come) international tourist/shopping activities.


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