GST is a better tax structure in the long run

Published: Thursday May 8, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM 

Updated: Thursday May 8, 2014 MYT 8:01:54 AM

THE 143 countries that have adopted the Goods and Services Tax (GST) are too many to be wrong.

Imagine that had we implemented the GST many years ago and had used the extra taxes to build roads, schools, hospitals, etc, when the costs were very much lower, we would have benefited from it.

The GST is a better tax structure and will in the long run benefit the country.

What makes the people uncomfortable are the excesses incurred by some government departments in their spending as reported by the Auditor-General year after year.

We hope that the Government will make all effort to eradicate or reduce such excesses so that the people will feel comfortable with the extra taxes generated by the GST.

To lessen the burden of the lower income group, the Government should look at ways to alleviate their burden by increasing the welfare payments and the pension rate for the lower level pensioners.

The lower income families should be given a certain amount of money at half yearly intervals.

Senior citizens, above 65 years of age, in Britain are given free passes for bus and railway travel.

There will never be a tax structure that is perfect but we must choose the better one, which is the GST.

THOMAS FOO

Subang Jaya