TTF: Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said today that the government was able to make sure the impact of price hikes today was lower than during the previous taxation system (see news item below).
That’s a lie.
While it is true that Pakatan Harapan did tell the people prior to the 14th general election that price increases would be under control should the government revert back to the SST system, in just six months, the price of my coffee and tea at McDonald’s went up 75 sen from RM7 to RM7.65 while the regular dishes I have at various eateries in the Klang Valley went up between 10 – 13 per cent on average, to say the least.
As a matter of fact, the prices of goods rose immediately following the introduction of the SST, which is ironical, given that the DAP and PKR poured untold scorn on Barisan Nasional when prices of goods rose following the introduction of the GST by the previous administration.
When compared, the hike in the price of my tea and coffee at McDonald’s following the introduction of the GST was significantly lower than the hike brought about by the introduction of the SST.
So, in all earnest, I would like to ask Lim to stop with the lies and focus instead on allegations of corruption and criminal impropriety that occurred during his tenure as Penang Chief Minister.
On the 26th of February 2019, I wrote:
Recent disclosures by Malaysia Today suggest that a massive plot was hatched by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to keep hidden discoveries made by the MACC regarding the controversial and scandalous Penang Undersea Tunnel project.
On the 24thof February 2019, Raja Petra Kamarudin commenced a series of publications to prove that the anti-graft agency conspired with Attorney General Tommy Thomas to sweep the discoveries under the carpet.
The United Kingdom (UK) based blogger splashed documents, said to be from the MACC’s files, proving that Lim Guan Eng received 10 per cent of the tunnel project cost through a kickback scheme involving several Pakatan Harapan leaders.
According to RPK, Tommy Thomas told the MACC to mark the discoveries NFA, which, in the agency’s terms, means “No Further Action,” or, as many a layperson would have it, “consider it never happened.”
The RM6.3 billion mega-project was widely believed to involve kickbacks promised to politicians, consultants and shareholders from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (Zenith), parent to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) awarded the project.
The project courted controversy in 2017 when the previous Penang government under Lim Guan Eng chose to remain vague on claims of impropriety by the state’s then opposition with unconvincing clarifications, contradictions and flip-flops.
So once again, Lim, stop with the lies and focus on clearing your name.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government recognises there are weaknesses within the Sales of Services Tax (SST) system, as it was implemented only two months after the Goods and Services Tax was abolished.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said however, the government was able to make sure the impact of price hikes today was lower than during the previous taxation system.
“Through the implementation of SST, the government did not say prices would not increase. It (price increase) is happening but the impact is lower.
“This is proven through the inflation rate that was recorded in 2018, which is one per cent compared to 3.7 per cent during the GST era.
“The challenge now is to ensure that the cost of living will be reduced and the people can benefit from a lower Consumer Price Index (CPI),” he said during a press conference after launching Razer’s new headquarters here today.
Present were Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and Razer chief executive officer and co-founder Min Lian Tan.
Lim said his ministry would hold a meeting with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers to study the complaints on price hikes.
“The government wants to understand this issue better and discuss with business operators about complaints on increased operational costs because all this have not been explained with facts,” he said.
Meanwhile, gaming peripherals company Razer opened its new headquarters here, which can house more than 280 staff members at UOA Corporate Towers.
Min said Razer decided to invest in Malaysia as it was widely regarded as a financial and technology hub in Southeast Asia.
“Razer has launched an e-wallet app for youths in the country last year, known as Razer Pay. It recorded more than 500,000 new registered users in less than a week.
“This month, we will add more features to the application like coupons and instant orders,” he said.
Adapted from:
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