PUTRAJAYA: The government has no plans to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST)as an alternative to removing subsidies for RON95 petrol, says Fahmi Fadzil.

"No, there were never discussions,” the Communication Minister said after attending the full dry-run session of the 2024 National Day Celebration at Dataran Putrajaya on Thursday (Aug 29).

Fahmi was responding to an article by an online media outlet claiming the government was considering reintroducing a broad-based consumption tax instead of implementing subsidy cuts for RON95 to bolster its finances.

The article claimed that the Cabinet had discussed this measure, arguing that reinstating GST might be politically easier than removing petrol subsidies for RON95, given that Malaysia is an oil producer and many Malaysians view affordable petrol as essential.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/29/minister-denies-plans-to-introduce-gst