Constant improvements to GST in line with current needs

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is always looking for the best adjustment measures to improve the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in line with current needs, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Othman Aziz.

He said the GST, enforced since 2015, had been through various adaptations such as the reliefs provided for certain goods and services that benefited the people or a related organisation.

These ongoing adjustments had been and would be done annually taking into account the current factors and would be announced through budget presentations.

“I also want to emphasise here, we will not abolish the GST, if there are weaknesses and criticisms of the tax, we will reorganise it and make changes so that our taxation system is more efficient,” he said when winding up the debate on the Goods and Services Tax Act 2014 in Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

The proposal was to enable the government to implement GST reliefs announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the 2018 Budget in October last year.

Among them are tax exemptions for the service and management of stratified housing maintenance provided by developers and all reading materials including magazines, comics, journals and periodicals.

The motion was later approved by block voting with 101 agreeing, while 0 disagreed, following the action of opposition MPs, who left during the voting process. — Bernama