Priorities. We all have to have our priorities.
That’s probably what Sabahan member of Parliament, Kalabakan’s Abdul Ghapur Salleh of UMNO was taking care of when he brought up the rising price of his favourite dish – soto – in the Dewan Rakyat today.
During the question and answer session in Parliament today, Abdul Ghapur asked Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan, “Is it GST or the traders?”, in reference to the effect the Goods and Services Tax has on the rising price of food.
“I think it is the GST.”
Ahmad, currently one of the most popular targets of widespread derision and criticism over his defence of the unpopular new tax, was also asked by Lenggong MP Shamsul Anuar Nasarah to break down the direct impact of GST implementation on the Malaysian economy.
In his reply, Ahmad stressed that the GST should not be blamed for any increase in prices.
He explained to Ghapur that the ingredients needed to make the MP’s favourite bowl of soto – oil, fish, and rice – were all exempted from GST charges, as were most basic foodstuffs.
He also noted that fast food chain KFC had maintained the price for 30 of the items on its menu despite the introduction of th GST on April, and even reduced the price of a further 15 items.
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