Govt turning businesses into ‘tax agents’

Former Sabah CM Yong Teck Lee said Budget2014 is the price "Sabahans and other Malaysians pay for voting this BN government.”

KOTA KINABALU: There’s no good news for Sabah in the Budget 2014.

In fact, it’s bad news for businesses and consumers in Sabah, said former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee.

The president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) also opined that the “good news” for Sabah is way below the expectations generated by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak during his visit to Sabah last week.

“The budget for the Kimanis gas project, the Sipitang SAMUR (Ammonia Urea Project) and the Lahad Datu regasification project are all “recycled news”.

“Even the Sandakan airport upgrading was first announced in 2010. There is no good news for Sabah in the budget. This is the price that Sabahans and other Malaysians pay for voting this BN government,” he said.

Commenting on the 2014 Budget unveiled by the Prime Minister on Friday, Yong said the people will suffer from the inevitable rise in prices of food and beverages caused by the hike in sugar prices.

Sugar prices had gone up four times before today. That is by 20 cents per kilo in January 2010, by 25 cents in July 2010, by another 20 cents in December 2010, and by 20 cents in May 2011.

“Compounded by rising fuel prices and the sudden hike by 34 cents in sugar prices, the much dreaded GST will send prices of goods and services into another round of spiraling inflation.

“This will hurt the economy, weaken the Ringgit and dampen consumer demand,” he said.

Yong also claimed that the reason behind the  decision to impose the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at such a high rate of 6% and the rise in fuel and sugar prices, is because the government is close to bankruptcy.

“The government is turning businesses into “tax collection agents” for the government via the GST.

“In fact, the only commodity that is keeping the federal government afloat is the oil and gas of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.