‘WHOLESALERS STILL CHARGING OLD PRICES’
Eatery operators urge ministry to carry out checks
EATERY operators are seeing red over the unchanged prices of supplies despite the zerorating of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) since June 1.
They claimed that some wholesalers supplying ingredients to their outlets had yet to reduce prices even though they had lowered the prices of their dishes.
Nasi Kandar Pelita manager Mustafa Arif, 32, said the prices of food items at his restaurant had been reduced despite the suppliers’ refusal to follow suit.
“We have noticed that the prices of goods offered by our suppliers remain the same even after the GST had been zerorated.
“A restaurant needs to take care of its customers.
“Most of us have removed the six per cent GST although we are still spending the same amount of money to buy the ingredients.
“We support the government’s move on the GST by reducing our dishes by 20 to 30 sen each.
“Our plain briyani rice, which was sold at RM3.20, is now RM3,” he told the New Straits Times Press here yesterday.
Sri Nirwana Maju Restaurant owner M. Amutha, 50, said her profit was affected as the wholesale suppliers were maintaining the old prices.
“Our banana leaf rice was previously sold at RM10.10.
“Now, we are selling it at RM9.50 per set.
“Our suppliers are still selling to us at the old prices before the removal of GST.
“This is a burden on us as we are selling our dishes at zerorated GST prices.
“Our wholesale suppliers are supplying chocolate drink powder to our restaurant at RM285 per box (six packs per box) and the price has yet to change.
“We have no issues with the zero-rating of GST.
“However, I believe the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry should conduct checks on food suppliers and take action against those who fail to abide by the law.
“We cannot blame eateries for increasing their prices as they need to make a profit.
“We need to get to the root of the problem.”
On Thursday, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the public had yet to feel the full effect of the GST’s zero-rating.
He had said the price-drop could be felt at fast food outlets, but not at Indian Muslim restaurants.
Saifuddin said he planned to display a sample of prices of goods that had been surveyed by his officers on the ministry’s website.