Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Finance will be given time to conduct a comprehensive study on the government's proposal to combine elements of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) with the Sales and Services Tax (SST), said MADANI Government spokesperson Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil. Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, stated that the report would be brought to the Cabinet for further discussion.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fahmi highlighted that this initiative is still in its early stages, and the Ministry of Finance has been allocated time to ensure a thorough examination. This involves understanding lessons from the previous GST implementation and addressing issues under the current SST system. The Ministry of Finance will review these aspects before presenting the findings to the Cabinet for deliberation and decision-making.

Fahmi further mentioned that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had briefed the Cabinet on the necessity for the Ministry of Finance, particularly Finance Minister II, to undertake a detailed study of the proposed hybrid SST-GST taxation system. When questioned about a specific deadline for the report or its inclusion in the upcoming budget presentation, Fahmi noted that no timeframe was discussed during the meeting.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar expressed the government's willingness to explore the proposal of integrating elements of the GST with the SST to create a more progressive national taxation system. He emphasized that while Malaysia will maintain the SST as its national taxation framework, incorporating certain GST features could be considered if they prove beneficial.