By B Nantha Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR: The government may have deferred the second reading of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, but there will be no let-up until it is dropped altogether, said Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) president, Badrul Hisham.
“The postponement is a only temporary respite. It is not the end. We will continue to push BN to cancel the GST altogether. We are simply not ready for it, “ he told FMT.
He said SAMM, together with its NGO partners, will continue to explain the issue to the people.
Echoing his view, Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan said the aim, from the beginning, was to get the GST annulled.
“We are grateful that the reading has been postponed, but we are quite sure the government will bring it back. We cannot allow this,” he said.
On May 1, PSM begins its nationwide anti-GST campaign.
“We will explain the meaning of GST and how it will affect us in our daily lives,” he said.
Long-term strategy needed
On Saturday, Second Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanazlah said the government would defer tabling the GST for a second reading when Parliament convened.
He said the government wanted time to seek public feedback before proceeding.
Meanwhile, PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the GST should not have been proposed in the first place.
“This is not the time for the GST, not when the overall economy is weak and the people are vulnerable to lay-offs and pay-cuts.
“What we need urgently are painful reforms, a complete economic overhaul. We need to be competitive by getting rid of incompetency, corruption and cronyism.
"We need long-term strategies to attract FDI, to stir up the domestic economy and raise the people’s income," said Dzulkefly to Harakahadaily.
