KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan’s latest attempt to convince Malaysians over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has run up against the same scorn and ridicule as previous efforts.
In a Twitter post today, the Umno information chief laid out a recipe for fried rice using ingredients that were not subject to the new consumption tax.
“My recipe and cooked myself: Vegetables, egg, chillies, rice, salt, meat, onions, chicken, oil, and cooking gas. No GST!” he wrote in a post accompanied by photographs of his culinary and tax-free exploits.
The response from Malaysians was predictably derisive, with some doubting that the items were exempt from the GST as he stated.
One user then suggested that the deputy minister missed his calling to become a chef.
But not all the responses were as uncharitable; some users lauded him for the attempt to show Malaysians how to skirt the new system meant to broaden the tax base of the country that is highly dependent on petroleum-derived income.
Kinder users gave the deputy minister pointers on how to improve his cooking, while others applauded his tenacity in continuing efforts to defend that tax despite previous gaffes.
Ahmad previously proclaimed himself the “most hated person in Malaysia” owing to his repeated statements on the GST.
The Umno information chief has been at the forefront of disseminating information about the new tax system but had been heavily criticised for some of the comments he had made, including telling university students to cook at home to avoid being burdened by GST.
Ahmad also reported said that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had suggested that the government abolish the new tax system because he did not understand how GST works.
He had also accused traders who did not lower prices appropriately after the GST replaced the Sales and Service Tax of being pro-opposition, and urged a boycott against them.
