The rumours of the 15th General Election (GE) which will be held sometime later this year has been debunked by Prime Minister himself as he is waiting for the right time to do so.
Dato Seri Ismail Sabri, who is currently on a 6-day visit to Tokyo told Nikkei Asia that he’s not in a hurry to dissolve the Parliament as Malaysia is still battling with the rising inflation.
“The increase in food prices and cost of living are the main reasons for the postponement of the next GE,” Sabri said.
Postponed indefinitely
When asked about the date of the next GE, Sabri has yet to give an exact date as he needs to wait for the right time to do so despite facing pressure from certain UMNO leaders to hold the GE earlier.
He did assure that GE cannot be held later than the deadline set in the Federal Constitution, which is September 2023.
However, if & only if the next GE is held earlier, the current situations of the country have to be considered.
According to the data from the Malaysian Department of Statistics, the Russia-Ukraine war has led to an increase in the consumer’s price index to as much as 2.2%.
Welcome back, GST?
Despite being unconfirmed, Sabri revealed that the government does have the intention to reinstate the Goods & Services Tax (GST), which he understands has a negative perception among the rakyat.
“I am aware of the negative perception but there isn’t a lot of options to increase or expand the government’s revenue,” he added.
Sabri also told Nikkei Asia that after reverting from GST to Sales & Services Tax (SST), the government lost RM20 billion in annual revenue.
For illustration purposes only
In terms of the rakyats’ perceptions of the GST, the government does have a plan up their sleeves.
“We will do everything possible to educate the people to accept the re-implementation of GST & a transparent tax system.”
GST was introduced by former Prime Minister, Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak in 2016 and SST came as a replacement when Pakatan Harapan took over Putrajaya in 2018.
The rising inflation shows no sign of improving anytime soon. As of now, do you agree with the Prime Minister’s plan?
