SST expansion must be postponed, urges Dr Wee
PETALING JAYA: Amid current global economic uncertainty, the government is urged to postpone the increase and expansion of the sales and service tax (SST).
Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) made this call during the special Parliament session on Monday (May 5).
"This cannot be carried out because come July 9, the 90-day pause on all US reciprocal tariffs ends, then the SST scope is expanded, the increase in electricity tariff, and not to mention the petrol subsidy rationalisation.
"Just imagine two or three of these things will eventually ruin the micro, small, medium and enterprises (MSMEs).
"So, I am urging the government to think about July 9 issued by US president Donald Trump when we go forth with all other implementation on July 1.
"All of this eventually will bring impact to the people," he said in a TikTok video posted on his official account.
On April 9, Trump announced a three-month pause on all the "reciprocal" tariffs with the exception of China.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the government will announce the mechanism for rationalising the RON95 fuel subsidy using MyKad in the second half of the year.
According to the Finance Ministry, the expansion of the SST was supposed to be implemented from May 1 but this was postponed to a later date.
It was also reported that Customs Department director-general Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin said the gazettement of the new tax changes is expected by June 1.
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