GST still some time away, says Idris Jala

Published: Thursday February 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) will not be implemented any time soon as discussions and awareness programmes are still ongoing, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

“No target date has been set yet. It will take at least one year from the time of announcement to the actual implementation date,” he told reporters after his keynote address at the National Transformation Summit.

He said over 140 countries which had implemented the GST, took at least a year to do so.

The education process, he added, had helped increase the awareness and understanding on the GST. In a question and answer session, Idris said the GST would also help boost the economy and increase the country's revenue.

“I am of the view that we must introduce GST. We have 28 million people but only one million are paying tax,” he added.