PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli has hit out at Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani, whom he believes had portrayed that the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 60 additional food items, was made by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, without first referring it to the finance ministry.

Rafizi cited a Bernama report which quoted Johari as saying that any imposition of the GST on any new items must be approved by the cabinet for it to come into effect.

Johari said the proposed imposition of the GST on 60 food items was made at the level of the department without referring to the ministry to be finalised.

Rafizi, however, expressed his "sympathy" to the director-general of the Customs department, as well as to the department's personnel for having been made the scapegoat in the matter...