Study on impact of GST on civil servants from July — Ali Hamsa

PUTRAJAYA: The government will study the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on civil servants, including on the salary and allowances, beginning July, said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa.

He said the government would have to wait after the implementation of the GST beginning April 1, and see its impact, before making any decision.

“The government has never neglected the welfare of civil servants, if there is additional revenue, the civil servants will also enjoy it.

“This includes salary or allowance increments, but now is not a suitable time to discuss,” he told reporters after officiating the 33rd Delegates Annual General Meeting of the Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants Association (Puspanita) here yesterday.

He was commenting on the proposal by the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) that the government increases the salary of civil servants by 30 per cent in light of the GST.

Meanwhile, Ali said Puspanita could play a role in helping the government implement policies like the GST and handling the cost of living by practising prudent spending.

“Other than that, Puspanita members can also be the agents of the government by informing the relevant authorities of any trader who charged high and unreasonable prices on their goods,” he said.

He also expressed his support for Puspanita’s efforts in carrying out several programmes to increase consumer awareness, specifically the GST briefings conducted throughout the country through the National Blue Wave Strategy ( NBOS). — Bernama