Instead of informing, Ahmad Maslan annoys UiTM students at GST briefing
Universiti Teknologi Mara students attending a briefing on the goods and services tax (GST) at the university's Shah Alam campus today said that Datuk Ahmad Maslan did not answer their questions on the consumption tax but instead was bent on criticising the opposition.
In the question-and-answer session with the students, the deputy finance minister kept repeating that the GST was more transparent than the previous sales and services tax (SST).
He also told them that the tax was needed to run the economy, and that paying taxes would help the country's development.
Maziah Mazli, 21, a student from the English Professional and Communications Faculty, said that Ahmad Maslan did not answer specifics or explain what the GST was about.
"The government must explain. He didn't answer the question.
"It was like he was twisting it. We as students want to know what GST really is, but we did not get a clear explanation.
"Since GST, we have been feeling the pinch, especially when purchasing mobile top-ups and food.
"It’s as though GST did not take into account all aspects – we do not have cooking facilities, so we depend on university food," she said when commenting on Ahmad Maslan's advice to cook instead of eating out to avoid GST.
Another student from the law faculty, Muhammad Shamil, 20, said Ahmad Maslan's comments were as though he were slamming the opposition.
"To me, it looked like the minister was more keen to slam the opposition than give a proper explanation.
"My problem is not GST but its implementation. The minister is not answering our questions," he said, adding that the tax was a burden to students, especially those from lower-income families.
When one student asked why the tax was being implemented at a time when the country's economy was not doing well and the people were feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living, Ahmad Maslan hit out at the student's comments, saying the SST system was the one that was a burden and not GST. He then proceeded to talk about a topic unrelated to the question.
“What is burdensome is SST not the GST,” he said.
“The Malaysian economy is stable, growth is between 4.5% and 5.5%, which is good.
“Unethical businesses have raised prices long ago.
“Just like PAS who had been talking about hudud since 1990 but DAP does not seem to understand after 25 years what it’s all about.” – April 11, 2015.
