PAS states' taxes might not cover development costs, says Rafizi
He said if the Kelantan state government, for example, can't create an investment-friendly business environment and generate good, high-paying jobs, it may struggle to bring prosperity to the people even if it collects taxes under federal jurisdiction.
Rafizi said those taxes, such as business and individual income taxes, or sales taxes related to business activity, might not be enough to cover the state's development costs, which were currently supported by the federal government.
"That's why it's better for us to compete with our expertise in boosting the economy, rather than playing on sentiments by accusing the federal government of victimising opposition states," he said in an X post, previously known as Twitter.
He also asked how many taxes would be collected in Kelantan if the state government were collecting the taxes currently under the federal government's jurisdiction.
PN and PAS are currently leading four state governments, namely Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
In April, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government's allocations to Kelantan and Terengganu had consistently increased since he took over the government in 2022.
He said Kelantan saw a 30 per cent increase in 2024 allocation to RM762 million from RM588 million in 2023.
Meanwhile, Terengganu's allocations recorded a 28 per cent increase to RM2.02 billion last year from RM1.57 billion the previous year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 minutes ago
- The Star
Rafizi's wife gets threatening message after attack on son
KUALA LUMPUR: 'Diam, andai teruskan aids' (Quiet, or else AIDS) - this was the threatening message the wife of Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli (PH-Pandan) received shortly after her son was stabbed with a syringe on Wednesday (Aug 13). The same message was then sent again to Rafizi's wife earlier this morning, as revealed by the former economy minister in a press conference at Parliament on Thursday (Aug 14). 'This is likely an act of intimidation against me to influence my decisions by targeting my family,' Rafizi said. More to come
New Straits Times
5 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Rafizi: Attack on my son perhaps linked to meeting with whistleblowers
KUALA LUMPUR: Pandan member of parliament Rafizi Ramli believes yesterday's attack on his son may be linked to a meeting he had last week with a group of whistleblowers regarding a scandal. However, he declined to disclose details of the scandal. Rafizi also revealed that his wife received two threatening messages via WhatsApp, the first at 1.12am today and the second at 11.02am. "Diam, andai teruskan Aids," read the message.
New Straits Times
5 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Fahmi: Rafizi won't be cowed into silence by attack on son
KUALA LUMPUR: Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli is unlikely to be "cowed into silence" by the attack on his 12-year-old son at a mall in Putrajaya yesterday. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said, if the syringe attack was meant to warn the vocal politician against making certain statements, then it was unlikely to succeed. He said Rafizi has faced court action and political pressure before, but was known to respond to intimidation with even greater resolve. "I don't think someone like Rafizi will be cowed into silence by something like this. He has been brought to court before and is very familiar with pressure... the more he is pressured, the more he fights back," he said after officiating the Mercu Tanda Kampung Kerinchi. Fahmi was asked by reporters to comment on the attack. He stressed that it was too early to conclude whether the incident was politically motivated as investigations are still ongoing. "The police are still investigating, so we leave it to them to determine what really happened. It is too early for me to comment on that," he said. Fahmi condemned the act in the strongest terms and called for swift action against those responsible. "This is something we absolutely cannot accept. I hope those involved will be caught and brought to justice quickly," he said. Two men were reported to have approached the boy and stabbed him with a syringe before fleeing. Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar had said investigators had reviewed CCTV footage from the scene and were tracking down two male suspects. The boy is in stable condition and receiving hospital treatment. Rafizi said this was the first time his family had been targeted and believes the act was a warning aimed at silencing him on certain issues. However, he vowed not to bow to threats and to continue his work as usual.
