KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has questioned the likelihood of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) return in light of recent new taxes.
Hamzah (Perikatan Harapan-Larut) expressed his apprehension in Parliament regarding the introduction of an array of taxes, such as the extension of the Sales and Service Tax (SST), as well as the newly introduced digital services tax and taxes on both low-value and high-value goods.
"Are these not burdensome for the people? And with the onset of e-invoicing from July 1, 2025, could this be paving the way to GST 2.0," he said during the Supply Bill 2025 debate at the policy stage on Monday (Oct 21).
He also called on the government to delineate the full scope of items now falling under SST, pointing out that only salmon and avocado had been specifically mentioned.
"What is the expected tax revenue from this, and how much tax will be imposed on items like salmon and avocado? Is there a comprehensive list?" he added.
This comes after MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong also hinted that GST could be reinstated under a different moniker if the current government wishes to distance itself from the tax originally implemented by then-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in April 2015 and dismantled by succeeding Pakatan Harapan administration led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2018.
