Ministry: At least 223 items cheaper post-GST

Between 16 and 26 percent of 1,396 goods monitored by Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry have become cheaper since the goods and services tax (GST) was implemented in April 2015.

The ministry said this in a parliamentary written reply to Kubang Kerian MP Ahmad Baihaki Atiqulah.

The two-paragraph reply did not contain any details of the said products, but stressed that prices of goods are determined by exchange rates, supply, wages, weather and fuel prices and not just by GST alone.

Baihaki had asked for the "percentage" of items that had become cheaper, as declared before by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

In his Budget 2014 speech, Najib had said: "Put differently or explained in simple terms, with the GST system, consumers will only need to pay tax once and the price of goods should be cheaper." - Mkini