GEORGE TOWN, April 3 ― Public schools should not be made to pay Goods and Services Tax (GST) for maintenance and repair works, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.
The DAP secretary-general pointed out that schools are not revenue-earning organisations but are institutions that provide educational services to the public.
"These maintenance and repair works in schools are a necessity for the safety of the students and teachers so they should not be made to pay GST," he told a press conference after a mock cheque presentation to missionary schools in Penang.
The Bagan MP has repeatedly called for the consumption tax to be cancelled or deferred.
Among other grouses raised against the GST, Lim has also blamed the new tax for the closure of several traditional sundry and medicinal shops in the state, pointing out that they could not cope with the additional costs imposed by the system.
Lim has also written to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, seeking GST exemptions for infrastructure projects by the state government and also measures to help alleviate the burdens of smaller businesses.
Earlier today, Lim handed over RM1.175 million in allocation to 20 missionary schools for maintenance and repair works.
