Over 200,000 checks, goods worth RM63,000 confiscated

Kota Kinabalu: More than 200,000 Ops Harga inspections were carried out by the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) statewide since January 2014. State Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad in her winding up speech said 601 cases led to the confiscation of goods worth RM63,862.57 and 17 notices issued under the Price Control Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

"From the figure, there were 259 compound cases worth RM25,900," she said, adding that traders who were found to have increased their prices of goods would be issued notices under the Act.

"Traders who received the notices are required to give justifications for increasing the price by presenting related documents showing the price rate and reasons for the price increase," she said, adding that stern action will be taken against those who failed to do so.

Jainab explained several measures had been taken to assist consumers.

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Among them were forming a Consumer Protection Task Force at State level and upgrading information dissemination through posters at public places and billboards as well as providing Price Reference Books at all the libraries in Sabah. The Ministry, she said, will continue to hold more awareness programmes to educate the public on the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the country.

"Based on the complaints we received so far, confusion usually occur due to people abusing the social media by spreading invalid information.

"The Ministry appreciates all complaints and responses received from various resources because this shows that consumers are concerned about their rights," she said, explaining that they were unable to determine whether the number of complaints have decreased or increased because the GST had only started about 16 days ago.

However, Jainab explained that the implementation of GST would benefit the country in terms of national revenue and later returned to the people through infrastructure development, education, health, social development as well as national security for the rakyat's own wellbeing.

"Therefore, the statement by the Api-Api Assemblywoman saying the implementation of GST would burden traders and consumers and should not be implemented is not right.

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"This is because other developing countries have also implemented GST or VAT (Value Added Tax), for example, Indonesia that had started to implement GST in 1984 with the rate of 10 per cent, Bangladesh in 1991 with the rate of 15 per cent, Iran in 2008 with the rate of 5 per cent, Pakistan in 1990 with the rate of 16 per cent, Turkey in 1995 with the rate of 18 per cent, Nigeria in 1993 with the rate of 5 per cent and Egypt in 1991 with the rate of 10 per cent," she said.

In terms of business, those with an income of less than RM500,000 per year are not required to register with the Customs Department for the implementation of GST.

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