How about we get Digital Service Tax exclusion during this MCO?

STAYING at home during MCO is all about relaxing minds and spending joyful time with our loved ones, and it is incomplete without us being entertained by movies, music and other online contents that are uncharged and available in the smartphone app stores.

Don’t forget that when the Digital Service Tax was first pronounced by the previous government, there had been criticisms against its implementation as it was initially believed to be “burdening the users.”

Besides the people who really care about spending each cent they earn, some of the then opposition parliamentarians were also against it.

The six percent tax should have been erased during the first episode of MCO, but it wasn’t even included in the relief plan.

As we are presently facing the MCO 2.0, we hope that the government could consider to temporarily remove the Digital Service Tax for at least five to six months so that those who have to work and study from home can subscribe to digital platforms without additional bucks inserted in their monthly fees.

It is understood that subscription fees for popular digital platforms like Spotify and Netflix can’t be reduced as they are fixed by the creators, but reducing the tax will be a little good news for all of the users whose money can be shifted to spending for tax-inclusive foods and beverages.

Amerul Azry Abdul Aziz is an independent writer who now views politics as something that can be researched. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.