KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 ― Following a mass protest against the goods and services tax (GST) yesterday, Merdeka Center reported today that 62 per cent of Malaysians polled are against the implementation of the consumption tax.
The independent pollster also noted that comprehension of the GST is still low, with more than half of the respondents admitting that they do not know the workings of the tax, with less than a year before it will be implemented starting April 1 next year.
“A survey carried among voters in Peninsular Malaysia found that a majority (53 per cent) of them did not understand how the GST will work at present,” the pollster said in a statement here.
“At the same time, 62 per cent of respondents did not agree to the implementation of the GST, which indicates that despite not knowing the finer points of the consumption tax, many members of the public did not support its rollout.”
Of concern to authorities will be the poll’s findings that rejection was highest among lower income earners, particularly those who earn between RM1,000 and RM5,000 per month, where opposition was at 63 per cent.
Critics contend that the GST is a “regressive” tax that will disproportionately hit those with lower income more than affluent groups.
The poll also found resistance towards the consumption tax to be stiff, with 39 per cent expressing “strong” disagreement to it.
Among ethnicities, rejection was highest among Indians, with 74 per cent opposed, followed by the 70 per cent of Chinese who were against it.
At 55 per cent, Malays were the least dissenting ethnicity towards the GST.
More of those who are self-employed or running a business are against GST, at 68 per cent, compared to those who are in the private sector (64 per cent) or civil service (53 per cent).
Opposition also moderated with age, decreasing from 41 to 50 (61 per cent), 51 to 60 (59 per cent), and above 60 (51 per cent). Younger respondents were more resistant, with nearly two thirds of those aged between 31 to 40 years old opposed, followed by those between 21 to 30 (62 per cent),
The survey by Merdeka Center for Opinion Research polled random 1,009 voters across Peninsular Malaysia between April 12 to 21 this year.
The poll’s result seemed to run counter to another study by Umno Youth-backed Akademi Pemuda last month, which suggested that support for GST among urban young has almost tripled since November last year.
Putrajaya has gone on a RM17 million advertising blitz to promote awareness of GST since its implementation was announced in Budget 2014 last year.
After just two days of debate, the controversial GST Bill was passed last month in Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament, with 119 votes for and 81 votes against.
The Bill also went through the committee stage reading with no amendments, ensuring that the consumption tax starts at a flat rate of six per cent beginning April 1 next year.
Over 15,000 people gathered near Dataran Merdeka yesterday for the rally called “GST — Protest till it is dropped”, which was organised by a coalition of 89 non-government organisations, including workers’ rights group, Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit), and student activist group, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM).
