IPOH, July 13 — Consumers are becoming more diligent in checking their tax invoices since the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into force on April 1.

Members of the public interviewed by Malay Mail here said they were paying more attention to their receipts or tax invoices to see if they could cut down on their spending.

K. Balakrishnan, 56, a newspaper and magazine seller at the Dato Sagor food court near the Ipoh High Court complex, is more aware of the items that have gone up in price.

He has reduced his purchases to meet his weekly needs instead of buying in bulk like before.

“The prices of most items have gone up since the implementation of the GST,” he said.

“I now check my receipts so I know how much more I am paying.

“I am buying in smaller quantities and looking for cheaper alternatives.”

Balakrishnan wished he could do more than one job to pay for his expenses but with one leg amputated about five years ago, his wife now helps to supplement the household income.

The couple earns about RM1,500 a month to support five children. 

Food stall operator Lai Choy Leng, 60,  is also insisting on receipts so she can make adjustments on her expenditure.

“I did not look at the receipts previously. I would pay for the items and throw the receipts away,” she said.

“Now I check the receipts to see how much I am paying and try to cut back on certain purchases.”

Asked about her food business, Lai said fewer  people seemed to dine out and this was affecting her business. 

Solehah Mohamad, 25, a clerk at a law firm here, noticed steep increases in the prices of pharmaceutical products.

“I have been paying  extra for some  products bought from pharmacies,” she said, adding that she discovered GST had been imposed on certain medications. 

Solehah, a mother of two, said her husband, a police officer, and she decided to limit their overall monthly expenditure, which they did not do before the implementation of GST.

“After GST, most people will agree that prices have gone up,” she said.