KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Oct: The people of Sabah and Sarawak will be further burdened if the goods and services tax (GST) is implemented by the central government in the near future.
Member of Parliament for Sandakan, Wong Tien Fatt said the burden will occur because the people of Sabah earn far less than the people on the Peninsular.
He said the cost of living in the said states will also increase due to the higher prices of goods through the ‘carbotage’ policy of the six percent GST.
“The people of Sabah will be further burdened is the GST is implemented because the majority of people earn 30-40 percent lower than those in the Peninsular.
“In addition to the low wages, the people of Sabah also have the problem of the higher price of oil than the Peninsular,” he said in a press conference in Parliament today.
Tien Fatt also urged for all goods in Sabah and Sarawak to be standardised when the GST is implemented next year.
“If the GST is implemented, Sabahans have to pay more expensive prices than they should. We hope that if the GST is really going to be implemented, the federal government should standardise all prices in Sabah and Sarawak with the Peninsular,” he said.