Ahmad: Paying GST can help in nation building

KUALA TERENGGANU: Paying the Goods and Services Tax (GST) can help in nation building, says Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Muslin.

He stressed that paying tax is also part of the people’s patriotic duty to the country.

“The GST is a very transparent and efficient way of collecting tax. Unlike the sales and services tax (SST) that it replaces, the people will now have a sense of contribution to the nation.

“Even though you are paying a few sen in taxes, that little bit contributes to the RM24bil that the Government expects to collect from GST this year.

“That’s a lot of money, and at the end of the day, it is returned to the rakyat through development programmes.

“The GST gives the people a chance to be a patriotic citizen,” he told reporters at the state Customs Department here yesterday.

Earlier, Ahmad briefed Customs Department officials on the GST, which will kick-off on April 1. In his speech, Ahmad said only 2.2 million out of 28 million Malaysians in the country pay income tax.

“This is not fair to the 2.2 million tax-paying Malaysians if the others do not pay. That is why the GST is a more effective method,” he said.

He also warned Customs Department officials of unscrupulous businessmen who might try to make false tax claims.

“A severe punishment awaits those who try to cheat the Government with false claims,” he added.

Ahmad also said that 5,550 businesses in TERENGGANU have registered for GST, with only 644 identified businesses that have yet to register.