Najib:Is it my fault govt revenue fell by RM21bil

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has asked if it was his fault that the government's revenue would go down by RM21bil.

The former prime minister asked if this was the case since the removal of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) did not result in the reduction of prices of goods.

"Is this Najib's fault? RM21bil in revenue lost," he said in a Facebook post that was accompanied by a screenshot of a news article

He said that if the government received the RM21bil, initiatives and programmes for the people could be continued, pointing out that the building of public transportation could proceed as planned.

"During Budget 2019, you wouldn't have needed to ask people to sacrifice. Instead there will be additional taxes soon," he said.

Najib asked those in the Finance Ministry to guard the country's finances carefully and wisely.

"Don't be rash and do whatever you want," he said.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had previously said that scrapping the GST for the Sales and Service Tax (SST) would create a RM21bil shortfall for the national budget.

He had said that the government would make up the difference in revenue from the rise in global oil prices and with other methods such as bond issuance, refinancing and asset monetisation.