Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani has insisted that the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 60 additional food items was never approved by the cabinet in explaining the abrupt about-turn by the government to include them under the GST regime.

"Even the Customs (Department) director-general told me that he was not aware of the gazetted order being put on the website," Johari told Malaysiakini.

Johari said this in his response to PKR lawmaker Rafizi Ramli who claimed that a motion to approve the imposition of the GST on the 60 food items was tabled by the Finance Ministry in the last Dewan Rakyat session.

"Rafizi is wrong. None of the 60 items was tabled in Parliament. My advice to Rafizi - please don't confuse the public. Please do your research properly."

On Rafizi who had cited Parliament's standing orders and the Hansard in claiming that Deputy Finance Minister Othman Aziz had tabled the motion on the matter, Johari said Rafizi had referred to the wrong subject.

"Ask him to check his records properly. He often made mistakes in the past. So again, he is trying to confuse the public," said Johari.

Rafizi yesterday said Othman had, among others on April 4, explained the food items that would be taxed, such as dry kuey teow, dry laksa, and dry yellow mee.

In an embarrassing U-turn, the Customs Department on Monday scrapped plans to subject the 60 food items to six percent GST from July 1 after netizens went into a frenzy lambasting the tax and the federal government after news on the matter was reported.

According to Customs Department director-general T Subromaniam, the items had been removed from the Goods and Services Tax (Zero-Rated Supply) Order 2014, which was gazetted on June 6.

The GST was supposed to be imposed on fresh food items and more processed food such as some seafood, vegetables, fruits, tea, coffee, spices, and noodles.

Johari, later that day, said that any imposition of the GST on any new items must first be approved by the cabinet for it to come into effect.

The second finance minister had said that the proposed imposition of the GST on the 60 food items was made at the level of the Customs Department without referring to the ministry to be finalised.