SST on course for Sept 1 debut; BN Senators approve
Published on: Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Kuala Lumpur: The Dewan Negara has passed the Sales Bill 2018, one of the five bills related to the return of the Sales and Services Tax (SST), in the upper house which consists of a majority of Barisan Nasional (BN) senators.The Bill which will replace the previously BN imposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) was passed through voice vote in the upper house Monday.Opposition lawmakers in the senate comprising 32 BN senators and three PAS senators, which were appointed by the previous government, did not vote against the bill which came as a shock to many as the opposition parties had vehemently debated against it in the Dewan Rakyat for the past month.
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Under the proposed scheme, a 10pc sales tax will be imposed on taxable goods manufactured domestically as well as imported goods. SST will be implemented on Sept 1.During the debate, Umno's Fahariyah Mohd Nordin sought assurances that prices would not rise with the implementation of the SST.Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who undertook the second reading of all three bills before they were put to a vote, said prices could still be affected by other factors such as rising oil prices."I cannot give guarantees of the prices. I can only act as the instrument of the people, who wish for the GST to be removed.
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"But I can assure you that for the items exempted (by the SST), they will not have to pay the 6pc tax they would otherwise under the GST," he said.The other Bills that were passed were Goods and Services Tax (Repeal) Bill, Customs (Amendment) Bill.
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Barisan senator Khairul Azwan Harun said that Barisan senators are aware that it would be futile to try and block the Bills.He said that the question of how many senators voted against or for the Bills was immaterial.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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