Prices of essential items for women should drop after GST

The prices of essential items for women should drop after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) takes effect on April 1.

Kuala Lumpur Customs assistant director Nor Hamidah Kasim said this was because the GST was fixed at only 6 per cent compared to the current Sales Tax (SST) of 10 per cent.

"The public can browse the Royal Malaysian Customs Department's website to check the latest list of goods and services exempted from the GST.

"Mathematically speaking, the GST of 6 per cent should cause a reduction in the prices of goods."

She said this to reporters after the GST Briefing, which was organised by Pandan parliamentary constituency's Women and Family Development Council with cooperation from the Association of Women Local Authority and was graced by Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, here Saturday.

Meanwhile, Azizah said women's level of awareness on the implementation of GST had improved, thanks to the briefing sessions organised by various relevant quarters, including the ministry.

"However, we will not stop organising such briefing sessions even after the its implementation because there are others who have yet to fully understand the tax system," she said.

The deputy minister also advised women not to simply believe provocative messages about the GST which they read on social media, but instead use their power to choose and avoid traders who raise the prices of goods at the whims and fancy.