SHAH ALAM, June 1 — The Malaysian Trades Union Congress has called on the 14 million workers in the country to contribute to the ‘Tabung Harapan Malaysia’ fund set up to help the government partly pay off the national debt.

MTUC deputy secretary-general A. Balasubramaniam said most workers might support the cause out of patriotism to "help ease” the country’s debt.  

"This is a laudable initiative. I feel many will come forward as responsible citizens and make donations to help the government reduce the debt after the recent announcement that the national debt has reached RM1 trillion,” he told Bernama.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said yesterday the fund had collected RM7.08 million as of 3 pm yesterday, less than 24 hours after it was launched. 

On the Goods and Services Tax (GST) being zero-rated effective today, Balasubramaniam said the MTUC had been fighting for the abolition of GST for a long time. "The zero-rated GST is apt at a time when people are coping with the rising cost of living,” he added. 

The Pakatan Harapan government had announced that GST would be zero-rated from today and abolished in September when the Sales and Service Tax would be reimposed. — Bernama