The burden of inconvenient policies

ADAPTIVE devices are equipment that improve the quality of life of disabled people. They can be as simple as a spoon fitted with a large handle or as sophisticated as a wheelchair that can be manoeuvred by sipping and puffing into a straw connected to a steering mechanism.

Our independence, mobility, health and even life depend on these devices. They are the necessities that keep us going.

Buying these devices used to be a straightforward matter before the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). They were exempted from tax. It was as simple as cash and carry when getting them from local retailers.

If there was a need for customisation and made-to-order devices that were not available in the country, importing them was fuss-free too as long as the documentation was in order and the items were correctly declared to the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.

When GST was enforced in April 2015, we were required to produce a letter from a disabled people’s organisation (DPO) to get GST relief when purchasing these devices.

Many of us, including DPOs and the shops selling them, were unclear about the procedures. We were sent on a merry-go-round from one agency to another. We ended up paying GST because it was too much hassle to get the relief.

Previously, 11 assistive devices were exempted from GST. Another 20 items were included in the list during the tabling of Budget 2017 by the Prime Minister.

He also proposed to give GST relief directly to holders of Kad OKU on the condition the devices must be purchased from suppliers designated by the Department of Social Welfare (DSW).

Acknowledging that the procedure to apply for GST exemption was too complicated and in line with the implementation of this new policy, Minister for the Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim announced that the process would be simplified effective January 1 next year.

She said the existing nine-step process has been reduced to four. Disabled persons or their representatives can go to the DSW with the Kad OKU to obtain a GST relief form with which they can purchase the listed devices from registered pharmacies.

I must point out that pharmacies are not the ideal place to look for assistive devices. At best, pharmacies only offer standard wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames. There are shops specialising in acomprehensive range of assistive devices and I hope these are included in the list of designated suppliers.

Reducing the procedural redtape still does not make it any less inconvenient for us. We still need to visit the DSW at least once to get the relief form, and a few more times if the officer in-charge is not around. I question the sincerity in extending the tax relief to us by imposition of this condition.

I understand this is a requirement by the Customs Department. What I cannot understand is why these items cannot be zero-rated once and for all. It will save everyone the hassle and reduce the onerous amount of paperwork for all concerned.

Nobody would wake up one day and go “hmm, I think I am going to buy a wheelchair and use it just for the heck of it.”

As I mentioned earlier, these are devices are necessities. Why make the process so difficult?

If indeed, verification is required, the Kad OKU should be recognised for such purposes. The Immigration Department, National Registration Department and government hospitals accept this card without the need for extra documents. After all, it is issued by the government and recognised as an official identification card of disabled persons by almost all government departments and also the private sector.

Not all assistive devices available locally are suitable. For example, customised wheelchairs and even certain types of medical cushions have to be sourced from overseas.

The condition that the devices have to be bought from local retailers means those bought from overseas will not be exempted from GST. Having to go through a local retailer will definitely jack up the price by at least 30 per cent, money which could be stretched further in the face of rising cost of living.

The other complaint with the expanded list of items exempted from GST is that it does not include disposable items such as urinary condoms, catheters, urine bags and diapers.

We use these on a daily basis and have to spend up to RM1,000 monthly. In the current economic climate, the cost of these items have increased by more than just six per cent after GST. Our plummeting currency has caused a 20 to 30 per cent price increase which puts an undue strain on our finances.

As if having to contend with environmental and attitudinal barriers is not enough, the survival of disabled people are at the mercy of decision- makers in the government who have no empathy for the challenges we have to go through all the time. The imposition of conditions like these disable us even more.

The representative for disabled people in the parliament, Senator Bathmavathi Krishnan, need to be more assertive and effective in impressing the decision-makers regarding the negative effects of such policies. Representing us is not merely bringing up in parliament matters that affect us, attending conferences and officiating at events.

Having represented the community for the past three years, we had expected to see an obvious change in the attitude of policy-makers towards disability and improvement of accessibility in the environment. The fact that we have to come out to air our grouses in public on a series of unsolved problems still affecting us, is an indicator of her performance thus far.

That being said, as long as she continues to hold that position, she must work harder to push for all assistive devices and disposable items to be zero-rated where no GST is imposed. The tax relief regime in place now requires the status of the disabled person to be verified by the DSW before being eligible for exemption.

This, however, should not be her only legacy.We want to see her going down to the ground to listen to the community’s woes, take proactive actions by using her position to effect meaningful changes in the government and push for reforms to improve the lives and livelihood of disabled people.

These are the issues she vowed to champion after she was sworn in as a senator in 2013. But these are also the issues that are yet to be resolved.