KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Putrajaya will not be dissuaded from implementing the goods and services tax (GST) in April, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today amid concerns that the country was unprepared for it.

Opposition lawmakers assert that the new consumption tax will cause further increases to the already-rising cost of living and was regressive in nature, hitting low income earners more than the wealthy.

“There is no turning back, we will implement GST,” Najib said at the end of his keynote address at the Malaysian Institute of Accountants International Accountants ‎Conference here.

He later stressed the importance of both communication and implementation to ensure that the new tax will be adopted successfully.

Malaysia’s proposed GST rate of 6 per cent is the lowest in the region, whereas most countries implement a 10 per cent value added tax (VAT).

The tax was first announced during Budget 2005 and was originally scheduled to be implemented in 2007 before it was deferred.

The GST Bill was then tabled for the first reading in 2009 for implementation in late 2011, but was withdrawn during the second reading in 2010 following fierce public resistance.

It was finally confirmed in Budget 2014 that the GST will be rolled out on April 1, 2015.