COMMENT | Mr Prime Minister, may l ask you about the news being bandied around that you will 'zeroise' the GST from six percent to zero percent in this coming 2018 budget?

In other words, will that mean that there will be no more collection of the (six percent rate) consumption tax on goods and services in 2018, which you anticipated will generate a sum of RM42 billion for this year, 2017?

If truly that is the case, may l congratulate you, sir? Bravo!

But didn't you say that GST is the saviour of the Malaysian economy? Didn't you say this is our lifeline of a sort for the nation, when the global oil price was erratic or unreliable, and we are in need of a broad-based tax?

So, if you believe you're able to manage the economy without GST, why didn't you think of it earlier? Why have you subjected the rakyat to this inflationary pressure of almost 3.7 percent for the full-year, and at its worst at 5.1 percent in March this year? Were you oblivious of the burden and sufferings of the rakyat, and in fact, aloof of the rakyat you claimed to champion for?

Much to our amazement, you have finally got wind of our Pakatan Harapan's Budget 2018 that proposes to do away with or abolish the GST and reinstate the sales and service tax (SST). We are indeed flattered by your plagiarism, as alluded by the proverbial expression that "plagiarism is the best form of flattery".

While Harapan is clear and conscious of where our revenues are coming from, to cover the shortfall in the 'direct tax', once GST is no longer in place on our Harapan budget, may we ask you how you could achieve that?

The penchant for abuses, endemic leakages and chronic inefficiencies in your procurement, management and administration system make it a real suspect that you will ever be able to achieve a reasonable fiscal deficit that will put the rating agencies at bay. Again, how do you intend to square the circle?

Finally, may l also ask you why have you decided to do it now, ie for the Budget 2018, which is the mandatory election year for the 14th general election?

Besides, why are you only 'zeroising' the GST and not 'abolishing' this regressive consumption tax that equally burdens the poor too? Do you intend to hoodwink the rakyat, ie the voters, to mandate you and the BN, and later reintroduce it, once you're back in Putrajaya? If ever you're entertaining such thoughts, that will be the greatest folly and most despicable!

Mr Prime Minister, please take some time to allay the apprehension of the rakyat - or perhaps give them the glad tidings. Either way, we the Harapan and the greater opposition fraternity, including the civil society organisations, would be vindicated for our relentless campaign to effectively rid the rakyat of this existential threat from the burdening GST!

DZULKEFLY AHMAD is strategy director of Parti Amanah Negara.

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