KUCHING, July 1 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today that her party will abolish the controversial tourism tax should Pakatan Harapan form the federal government after the next general elections.

She said PKR rejects the implementation of the tax in its current form and shape.

"At the next PH presidential council meeting, I will propose that the tax be abolished should we form the next government,” she told reporters before chairing the Sarawak PKR committee meeting.

She said she will also propose that PH study the various steps that need to be taken to strengthen the tourism industry, including proposing a new draft Bill that is not only fair to the industry and the public, but also transparent in the distribution of funds collected to the respective states.

Wan Azizah said the response to the tax enforcement must serve as a cautionary tale for both federal Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and the federal government.

She said all Bills should be given sufficient time for effective consultation and engagement with the respective stakeholders and must go through a proper parliamentary committee instead of being hastily debated and passed  at 4.57am on April 6, 2017, after three hours and 50 minutes of debate.

She said there was no thorough co-ordination and planning prior to the announcement of the tax’s enforcement, with the Sarawak government expressing its objection.

Wan Azizah said that based on the response of the various parties, it is obvious that the tax will further burden the people already affected by the Goods and Services Tax.

She criticised the federal lawmakers from Sarawak Barisan Nasional for failing to register their objections when the tourism bill was debated.

She said only federal lawmakers from PH strongly objected to the passing of the Bill.

The federal tourism ministry had said that the tax would be enforced on August 1, 2017, instead of July 1 as announced earlier.