'Home ownership a dream when GST in effect'

Published on: Wednesday, April 09, 2014 

Kota Kinabalu: Youths generally in the country or Sabah, in particular, can forget about owning a house by 2015 if the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is implemented.

National DAP Publicity Secretary, Junz Wong, said it was disappointing that BN has once again overlooked the difficulties that the rakyat (people), especially the younger generations, are facing.

To this, he said the Federal Government should consider the younger generations before implementing the GST.

"If the GST were to be imposed on houses, lands and cars, the young generations then could forget about owning a decent house after April 2015," he said in a statement, Tuesday.

He foresees that once the impending GST on prices of houses is implemented, the following chain reaction would occur, namely raw materials procured from importers, port and forwarding services will be taxed while suppliers selling the processed materials to developers will also be taxed.

"Transportation costs to deliver these materials will also be taxed as well as developers buying lands (for development projects).

"The developers will use all the (already taxed) materials to build houses on the (taxed) land and that houses sold will be taxed again," he said.

At the end of the day, he said, all the related players will be earning less profits due to the newly implemented GST and, thus, all burdens will be passed down to the end users who are the house buyers.

And these house buyers are struggling Malaysian citizens who are finding it very hard to own houses even today, Wong said.

"Not to mention other burdens that the citizens will have to pay such as telephones bills, electricity bills, Internet bills and normal household items, among others.

"So, how can the younger generations afford to own a house by 2015?" he asked.

Further on the GST, he said Sabahans would be further discriminated by the GST.

Wong, who is also DAP Sabah Organising Secretary, said Sabahans in fact would be the most badly affected.

"Sabah is arguably the poorest state with low income but has an extremely high cost of living and overpriced houses" he said.

To this, he asked if Sabahans would be paying more tax than other Malaysians outside Sabah if the GST is implemented.

The price of goods in Sabah in general are more expensive than in the peninsula, he said.