‘Anwar’s flip-flopping on GST’

November 1, 2013

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali had also yesterday told parliament the opposition never rejected GST.

YAN: The opposition’s flip flop on numerous issues including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) shows inconsistency on their part.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had opposed the implementation of 6 percent GST on April 1, 2015.

“Anwar stressed the opposition would hold a nationwide protest on the implementation of GST but today, the opposition leader took a different stand,” he told reporters after presenting RM100,000 from Felcra to repair homes of 20 families in Simpang Tiga here yesterday.

Shafie was commenting on media reports quoting Anwar as saying that the opposition protest was against the nation’s unreadiness to implement GST, not the taxation system.

Anwar told reporters in palriament lobby yesterday that the taxation system was an efficient and transparent one and would boost national income.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali yesterday told parliament the opposition never rejected GST.

He admitted it was a transparent and efficient taxation system and could benefit the national economy in the long run.

Shafie said the people must realise the opposition often changed their stand to the extent that the people did not know what was true.

He said the government had obviously implemented an approach which had been laid out in a planned manner to boost the resilience of the national economy.

Shafie said the implementation of the taxation system became controversial previously because the people did not get an explanation about it.

Negative rumours

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said Anwar’s admission was a good move, showing the government was sincere in developing the country.

“The issue became more unclear when the people only heard negative rumours about it and spread it to others,” he told reporters after attending an Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Ministry casual gathering with the community here yesterday.

The implementation of GST at a rate of six percent starting April 1, 2015 was announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak when tabling the 2014 Budget recently.

Meanwhile, Jamil Khir said farmers, smallholders and fishermen were fortunate because they received numerous incentives from non-government organisations and the government to create a second income.

In the ceremony, attended by 1,000 farmers, smallholders and fishermen and the local populace, Jamil Khir also handed over aid for Azam Tani (RM53,500), Agro-based industry (RM40,000) Jerai Parliament Tekun Entreprenuers (RM300,000) and tithe from Agro Bank (RM3,000).

Jamil Khir, who is also Jerai MP also announced an allocation of RM50,000 to build a surau for the Farmer Organisation Complex in the G-1V Seri Jerai area here.

-Bernama