Whither Malaysia cause GST?

OPEN letter to DYMM YDP Agong and all concerned citizens Very important & urgent for action Who can hold Malaysia together in this time like this. 50 years and more is enough and enough is enough. Nation building needs sacrifice, no doubt but it is lopsidedness that has prevailed against people especially in Sabah including Labuan and Sarawak. To get to the point fast, I would like to focus more on Sabah including Labuan in this OPEN letter, while Sarawak scenario is also obvious relevant. Needless to mention Sabah’s poverty is getting worst despite some “stupid” claims otherwise from somewhere. Poverty, oppression and underprivileged scenario are very important elements in nation building for a better tomorrow for all. Poverty is getting worst Sabah people is already hard pressed in term of adequate income to sustain a decent living for decades. Now with Goods and Service Tax at 6% where would such poor people get their income to cover for such additional outlay. Prices across the board have risen since 1st April, 2015 even for most items with zero rate or exempt items. Some sources claim anything up to RM90 for any family would be the tax for GST. So where would such income come from for this additional burden? On the other hand if the collection of GST from the poor people of RM500m to RM1b per annum, where would such revenue go to? The nation with national debts of almost a trillion ringgit mainly due to massive and endless corruption and profligacy would simply swallow the additional revenue from GST. GST can only be a progressive item if the high income as anticipated would materialise but for Sabah it is far from it even until 2020 under the present BN/UMNO administration with a culture of recalcitrance. Oppression is anti nationalism Sabah people including Labuan have been oppressed for decades by none other by those who claim to be socalled leaders (State and Federal) for decades. Under schemes of largely heavily rigged general elections at the start of USNO and then perpetrated by the UMNO since the 1990s, oppression of endless possibilities has prevailed. I would not say the PBS and Berjaya Government were any better but they did provide the breaks of sort of “oppression” and we have not learned from history. Oppression have been in various forms within and without namely arrivals of excessive alien people which I call “Extra People Identity Cards” holders or “Project IC” holders displacing the genuine local Sabahans which is akin to the much abhorred term such as “Ethnic Cleansing” and with this development come sort of disgusted “Apartheid”. Another arena where oppression prevails is that our wealth such as timber, palm oil and crude oil have been diverted elsewhere for nation building when Sabah remains marginalised and sidelined with much lopsidedness in so many desperate areas that need to be addressed but largely neglected for lack of funding. Underprivileged since 1960s. Without referring to the founding personalities and the paper only agreements and terms such as Malaysia Agreement 1963/Malaysia Act 1963, 20 points and the Federal Constitution as amended many times over 50 years, it is imperative that we acknowledge there was a sort of partnership (written or unwritten) that has gone awry ab initio. I think Tungku Abdul Rahman did acknowledge that North Borneo or Sabah now was an underprivileged place with underprivileged people in 1960s and even promised that Malaysia or Malaya would make Sabah as prosperous and developed on par with the Malaya then. However, reality is that Sabah remains the back water zone for 50 years. Sabah and Labuan remains underprivileged as we know today. Give Nation Building a chance but how? With much wealth from natural resources gone in Sabah, we need to address this nation building as it should be but now more burdens and blocks are added on from within and without. Without viable and adequate sovereign funds, nation building in Sabah and Sarawak would be inevitable neglected. Instead Sabah/Labuan & Sarawak are further oppressed by several important developments in the nation on the verge of disintegration namely economy decline and massive debts rising, oppressive and archaic old laws as added or amended, the questioned the Islamic Criminal Law especially Hudud affecting all in an agreed secular Federal Constitution, internal and external threats and rise of regional and global terrorism, added poverty from GST, marginalisation, “ethnic cleansing”, “apartheid”, massive corruption and illicit fund outflows, the dead claim on Sabah still allowed by the “leaders” hence Sabah would be forever remain underprivileged. Conclusion. We have seen in history how nations go bust by design or otherwise. Once great and mighty USSR was “bada bing”. So how do we hold Malaysia together or otherwise? Joshua Y C Kong PM of Interim Good Governance Government Malaysia (IGGG M) http://fresh-air-in-iggg.blogspot.com

RM1,000 + per family pa to feed the criminals of BN/UMNO

Home News Biz Sports Utusan Borneo thesundaypost Columns seeds.theborneopost.com Archive Home - News - Sarawak PKR anti-GST campaign says families taxed RM90 per month Posted on April 13, 2015, Monday Sim (front, eighth right) in a photo call with PKR leaders and supporters, holding their anti-GST banners outside Telang Usan Hotel here. MIRI: PKR launched its Anti-Goods and Services Tax (GST) campaign here, which in translation means families pay RM90 in GST tax per month. Penang’s Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, in a press conference held at Telang Usan Hotel here yesterday, said the party at both federal and state levels, had been observing the implementation and effects of the GST since April 1. Sim claimed that feedback they received showed that the people were very distressed with the new policy. “Prices for almost all essential goods also had increased drastically since implementation of GST on April 1, clearly burdening the poor,” he said. Sim called GST a regressive tax that oppresses the poor and the needy, citing a study by Penang Institute that each household has to pay the GST tax on an average of RM1,080 per year (RM90 per month). He also said PKR rejected the implementation of GST because 80 per cent of households in the country are eligible to receive the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) where the recipients are those who earn below RM3,000 monthly. “With the implementation of GST, the lower income group will be forced to pay tax which is not fair for them,” he added. The campaign was first launched in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and it aims to collect one million signatures, which they hope would overturn the policy. As at yesterday, the petition had collected 16,000 signatures. “By May 1, we want to collect at least 200,000 signatures. Those who want to sign for the petition can do so on our website www.bantahGST.com,” Sim said. PKR is also giving away anti-GST stickers to the public to enhance the nationwide campaign. Some 10,000 stickers have been printed out and are ready to be distributed. Miri MP Dr Michael Teo and PKR women vice-chief Voon Shiak Ni were also present at the press conference. Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/04/13/pkr-anti-gst-campaign-says-families-taxed-rm90-per-month/#ixzz3XK0z6vyy

criminals in BN/UMNO wants to rob more from GST, 1MDB , EPF etc etc

Monday, 13 April 2015 17:08 Why so many anomalies in Malaysia's GST? font size decrease font size increase font size Cetak E-mel Komentar (4) Rate this item 1 2 3 4 5 (3 votes) Why so many anomalies in Malaysia's GST? THE mechanic is popular in the area. The cars of the neighbourhood are under his care. And there's a reason for his repeat clientele. After he's done with your car, he presents the itemised billing and a plastic bag containing the parts he has changed. The last line in the bill is classified under "labour cost" which varies on the amount of time he or his co-workers spent on your car. If he called it "service charge", would anyone bat an eyelid? So, when the waiter at a five-star hotel presents the bill for the meal complete with the service tax and GST, would you refuse to pay for the service? This is the crux of the issue that politicians and civil servants are falling over themselves and yet unable to provide plausible explanations for their antics which have now become a comedy of errors. Let's get to basics. There is no law preventing anyone from imposing a fee for his or her services. And this comes with a caveat – the person who pays for the service or goods must be aware of such charges. So, if you are presented with a food menu with the words "All prices subject to 6% GST and 10% service charge", you take cognizance that such a fee exists. If you don't agree, you walk away to another outlet. This forms the basis on which price tagging laws have been promulgated – to enable the customer to know what he is paying for – no hidden charges whatsoever. So, what is this hullabaloo about having to display collective agreements between workers and employers before outlets can charge service tax? The public wants to learn and acquire knowledge. Please enlighten us as to which statute or regulation requires outlets to make such displays? To put it on record, I have perused all the laws which the minister and his civil servants have been referring to – the Profiteering Act, the Supply of Goods Act, the Price Control Act and even the Trade Descriptions Act. There is not a single clause which makes it mandatory for such agreements to be displayed. And it has been common practice for hotels to levy a service charge, which is distributed to employees on a scale based on points. And that's perhaps why these outlets have defied the so-called directive and continue to impose the service charge. What action can be taken for such rightful defiance? Nothing, zero, zilch, kosong! The Malaysian Association of Hotels says only 7% have collective agreements with the respective unions. So, is the government saying: "These 7% can collect the charges and the remaining must not levy the charges"? Its president Cheah Swee Hee hit the nail on the head when he said that the way ahead is to sit down and talk to stakeholders. Why was this not done before some people shot their mouths off? Rightly, he said: "It is not only the practice here but the world over. Allowing only unionised hotels to get this benefit is a double standard." But a moot yet important point: The majority of the population does not wine and dine at such up-market outlets. They eat out at stalls or restaurants. Why address an issue which only caters for the well-heeled and affluent? Again, the consumer must be given a choice if he wants to eat at some posh place or the mamak stall down the road. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head and compelling him or her to an outlet which has all kinds of charges. The price of "ice kosong" is now 50 sen and Chinese tea 80 sen. Has anyone raised an issue? Honestly, nothing can be done even if tap water is priced at RM10 as long as there is a price list or menu. From Day One, there had been little or no discussion on GST with stakeholders. Judging from the health minister's remarks, it is obvious that even government departments and agencies were not consulted. Datuk S. Subramaniam has requested the Customs Department to broaden its list of GST-exempt medication saying that most medications used in normal treatments should be exempted including cancer medication and treatment as an example. He stated that when the list was provided, it contained over seven thousand types of medicines. Stating that Customs Department is still reviewing the list and has yet to respond, Subramaniam reiterated that the exemption list ought to be widened. So, who was consulted when the list of goods were picked? It is ironical that tinned sardines are subjected to GST and fresh lobsters exempted. On the issue of GST, it would not be wrong to say that the Customs Department goofed. In most countries, three areas – household goods, health and education are not touched. Even when touched, consideration is given to goods or services which would affect the ordinary person. The inevitable question is: Why was not there a consultation process? Why are there so many anomalies and doubts? There is a thick line between ignorance and stupidity. However, some bungling civil servants have intertwined both at the expense of the rakyat. - Sundaily http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=493531:why-so-many-anomalies-in-malaysias-gst?&Itemid=3#axzz3X5LxTxwA

With GST in Sabah, why still got Sales tax for 4D, Toto tickets etc???

With GST in Sabah, why still got Sales tax for 4D, Toto tickets etc???

23,000 queries on 1 April

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/294041 The government seems to be getting conflicting reports about the number of complaints over the goods and services tax which came into effect yesterday. Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hasan Malek said over 23,000 complaints about the GST were filed via the MyKira GST application yesterday.

Prices up never go down...

GST: Greedy coffee shop owners told to stop cheating KUCHING: A number of coffee shops in the state that are not affected by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) raised prices of their drinks yesterday to fleece customers. Their acts were so sickening that Sarawak Federation of Coffee Shop and Restaurant Merchants’ Association chairman Hii Hung Yii and Sibu Coffee Shop and Restaurant Merchants’ Association chairman Tong Ing Kok saw it fit to issue verbal warnings. “Most coffee shop owners in Sarawak still maintain the same price as before the implementation of GST. There are, however, some who use the excuse of GST to raise prices on their own. “To those coffee shop owners whose turnover is not more than RM500,000 annually, I want to warn them not to do so as it is against the law. “They may be punished under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act if caught,” Hii told The Borneo Post yesterday. Sarawak Federation of Coffee Shop and Restaurant Merchants’ Association has more than 4,000 members across the state. Meanwhile, Tong was also fuming that some coffee shop owners in Sibu had also raised the prices of their drinks despite numerous warnings from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism (KPDNKK) and the association. “Coffee shops have been warned not to increase their prices within the first six months of the implementation of GST. “But some ignored the warnings. “What has GST got to do with them? What these unscrupulous traders are doing is bad for all of us and are tarnishing our image and reputation, especially their own. “What they are doing will not bring them any good. Customers will complain. The KPDNKK officers will also notice and conduct investigation on them. “At the end, they will be the ones in trouble,” said Tong. Tong said some coffee shops could charge GST because of the size of their business. For this category of coffee shops, the six per cent GST would be clearly stated on the receipts. “If a customer were to be told that a coffee shop charges GST, the customer must ask for a receipt. If the coffee shop cannot produce the receipt, it means the coffee shop is not paying GST. “I urge all our members not to cheat the people. Government officers are monitoring closely and at this time when the GST has just been implemented, everyone is on high alert. “The trick of these unscrupulous traders will definitely be exposed, and they will face the full force of the law.” said Tong.