KUCHING: Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (pic) hopes businesses as well as hotels no longer impose GST which has been abolished.
He said any action taken by the government to reduce the burden of the rakyat should be welcome.
“So my hope for businesses is when the tax rate is reduced from 6 per cent to 0 per cent, the market prices should be reduced eventhough it is 10 to 20 sen.
“It should drop also because if there is no drop in prices, whatever that has been suggested or whatever effort by the government will not bring anything benefitial.
“That is why we welcome the abolition and it was one of the issues that was brought up in the GE14 before, and the Pakatan Harapan had stated in their manifesto that GST would be abolished and we can see that eventhough it is not abolished yet it has been brought to zero rate, so more or less it is the same and it is our hope for businesses to follow up through to reduce the prices of their services and also goods,” he said.
Karim told this to the media when met by media at the grand opening of 11Ridgeway, Kuching’s latest community event space, off Jalan Ong Tiang Swee here yesterday.
He said it will also be the same with tourism because now if one were to go to hotels, before if there were 6 per cent, now there is no more 6 per cent.
“So, the hotels should also reduce. So even tourists if they come for drink, before if there was 6 per cent charge, now it is 0 per cent. So more or less it helps in reducing the burden on tourists and also on the locals. It is a good decision,” the minister said.
