KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional should reintroduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) if it wins the next general election, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said bringing back GST would be among the coalition’s priorities should it secure a mandate under the Agenda Malaysia Biru.
“This is our promise. Our struggle has not stopped because I see this as important and beneficial to the people,” he said at the 12th BN Forum: Agenda Malaysia Biru at Menara Dato Onn on Wednesday (Oct 7).
Dr Wee said e-invoicing, which he described as an element associated with the GST system, showed that features of the earlier tax regime continued to be used in tax administration.
He said he and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin had previously faced criticism over their support for GST.
“Then suddenly, they said GST has its good points. They said that was why the Sales and Service Tax uses the good components of GST. What is it? E-invoicing,” he said.
Dr Wee said GST would provide a more orderly tax system.
He rejected the argument that SST should be retained simply because it had been in use for decades, saying more than 170 countries had adopted VAT or GST systems.
“Are the countries around the world that use GST all wrong? It is not because it has been around for a long time, but because GST is more widely accepted and can help improve our economic standards,” he said.
