Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 20.10.2016.
DAP condemns BN for removing cooking oil subsidies that will cause 1 litre of cooking oil to increase by 40 cents and 5 litres cooking oil by RM 1.90. This increase in prices for a basic commodity will only add on to the financial burden of ordinary Malaysians, already hard hit by rising prices and poor business, caused by the imposition of GST.
If not for the imposition of GST, the removal of cooking oil subsidies will not pose such a big problem for poor families. However, the removal of cooking oil subsidies without removing GST, will only widen income inequality and make the poor worse off.
DAP strongly disagrees with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that Malaysia’s economy would be paralysed without the GST because GST is the saviour of our country. How can GST be a saviour of our economy when the people and the business is suffering?
Just as BN is not indispensable to Malaysia, GST is not indispensable to our economy, but the cause for economic slowdown and wage earners not able to make ends meet. How bad GST has affected the economy can be seen by the 30% drop in GST collections for the second quarter of 2016?
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During the first quarter for the first 3 months of 2016, GST collected amounted to RM10.2 billion. For the 2nd quarter from April to June, collection amounted to only RM7.1 billion, a 30% drop of RM3.1 billion. Clearly business has dropped by 30%
The Prime Minister and BN can deny all he wants but the 30% drop in GST collection is a direct reflection of the troubled and even distressed economic situation. Malaysians will not agree that GST is the saviour of the country’s economy but will seek the removal of GST to save the country’s economy.
Sadly the Prime Minister will not take the bold stop to remove GST to revive our economy at the 2017 Budget presentation tomorrow. Unless GST is removed, the 2017 Budget will not have any big impact on ordinary Malaysians.
LIM GUAN ENG
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民主行动党秘书长暨峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2016年10月20日在吉隆坡发表的文告
正如国阵不会是大马不可或缺的政党，消费税并不会是大马不可或缺的税收政策，它反而是经济萧条及打工仔入不敷出的导因。
民主行动党谴责国阵撤销食油津贴，导致1公升食油涨价40仙，5公斤食油涨价1令吉90仙。作为基本必需品，这波食油涨价无疑让大马普通百姓的经济重担百上加斤，因为之前实施消费税已经导致百物皆涨生意萧条。
如果不是实施消费税，食油津贴撤销还不至于造成贫苦家庭这么大的问题，然而如今撤销食油津贴却不撤销消费税，这将只会扩大收入不均及让贫苦大众雪上加霜。
行动党强烈不同意首相拿督斯里纳吉称如果没有消费税，大马经济将瘫痪，因为消费税是国家救星的说法。当人民及各行各业都在水深火热，消费税怎么会是我国经济的救星？
正如国阵不会是大马不可或缺的政党，消费税并不会是大马不可或缺的税收政策，它反而是经济萧条及打工仔入不敷出的导因。消费税如何糟糕地冲击我国经济？只要看2016年消费税的收集在第2季剧降30%就能一清二楚。
2016年首三个月消费税共收集了102亿令吉，但是进入4至6月的第二季，消费税只收集了71亿令吉，剧降30%或31亿令吉。很明显各行业生意也掉了30%。
首相及国阵可以一概否认他们想要否认的，但是消费税税收剧降30%确是实实在在反映了我国经济状况遭遇麻烦甚至堪虞。大马人可不会认同消费税是国家救星，但会想要撤销消费税以拯救国家经济。
很遗憾，首相将不会有勇气喊停，在明天宣布2017年的财政预算案的时候撤销消费税。除非撤销消费税，否则2017年财政预算案将不会为大马普通老百姓带来多大助益。
林冠英