During the Johor state election, there were talk ehailing companies, particularly Grab, were struggling to meet profit forecast due to low margin and high cost of operations.
They had to cut cost by 30% within short number of years. It means slashing the driver's commission and increase charges to customer. Increase commission limit the viability of the second option.
Then caretaker MB of Johor, Dato Hasni campaigned to promise for a youth employment program. He commented that gig economy is not a permanent career.
Don't tell us he (Ganesan of GK TV) not know Anwar's first liwat case was an outright fix-up.
Perhaps he could be excused because this blogger too made the same mistake and realised upon confession by a party involved in the fixing up.
Ganesan did justified his presumptions (of Zahid's DNAA decision by DPP), but it crossed the helm of prejudice to brush off the RCI, which is an opportunity for Anwar's plan for judicial reform, as red herring.
Abdul Malik Dasthigeer or known as Dato Malik ... is widely believed to be the proxy and bag carrier for M Saravanan cum a man of various business exploits and wealth.
Anti-MACC and PDRM whistleblower and PN sympathiser, Edisi Siasat accused it is also hushed hushed.According to whistleblower portal gaining credibility, Corporate Secret, his asset forfeited by MACC includes RM38 million cash, 17 luxury cars and 200 kg of gold bars.
In a recent Thick as Brick article (read here), the former Director General of the Ministry of Health, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was exposed for holding back on the death side-effect of mRNA vaccine namely from Pfizer. A grave duty of care.
He admitted during cross examination on an MCMC case against one Dr Roland Victor. Making matter worse and it is widely known on social media, he collaborated with socmed media platform owners and one Dr Musa Nordin to suppress public discussion and fair professional views on the Covid handling.
There is another old doctor in Malaysia renown for his cruel and suppressive ways, but not doctors in general. They are generally individuals of intelligent, soft and caring character.
From hero in the fight against Covid 19, Noor Hisham is slowly disintegrating in his retirement to a zero and glorified only by PPBM leaders to justify their inhumane lockdown and raping of the public fund.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) performed very well in the Aug 12 state elections in Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kelantan, winning 146 of the 245 seats contested.
It proved stronger than the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional combination despite a concerted attack by PH-BN against its leaders over corruption allegations.
Thick as Brick hoped for a 5-1 victory but it turned out to be the expected 3-3 status quo. The released bomb did not exploded as hoped to be, but then it is a ticking bomb. Taken from the pre-polling posting below:
Last minute bomb hardly could sway election result these days. It is post-election that could be devastating especially when PMX Anwar is expected to be more firm on "tatakelola urus" i.e. corruption and governance issues.
Eight years ago, DAP launched this song to instigate the public to hate GST and the then ruling government BN.
After the disaster to the national fiscal policy in 2018 following Lim Guan Eng's single handed abolishment of GST for the higher rate and difficult to collect SST, the PH-led multicoalition Unity Government have to face to the fact that Najib's introduction of GST was the needed initiative to reform the tax structure of Malaysia.
Five years down the road, the situation has not reached acute level but debt reached RM1.5 trillion, global economic condition challenging, inflation from the post pandemic effect and Russia Ukraine war, and government spending needed to stimulate the economy.
Anwar will need to make that difficult decision and it means a lost of face. An extract of Edge weekly interview with IRB CEO, Dato Nizam Sairi explains the need for GST below:
There are 4.5 million individual taxpayers in Malaysia, higher than the 2.5 million at end-2017, according to MoF data. However, Mohd Nizom acknowledges that the number is still low. The 4.5 million taxpayers are just slightly more than one quarter of the country’s labour force of 16 million, versus a total population of 33 million, the ministry’s data shows.
Mohd Nizom attributes the relatively small community paying personal income tax to the country’s high tax threshold, even though Malaysia’s income tax rates are relatively high compared with other countries in the region.
“Our highest [income tax] rate is 29%, so the rate is high. But in terms of threshold, I think this country is among the most generous [in the region]. [Even if you earn a salary of] RM3,200 a month, you are not required to pay income tax. Plus, there isn’t any consumption tax,” he says.
“If you have a family, there are deductions, so the threshold would be higher. Probably for the single breadwinner in a household with a monthly income of RM5,000 is still not subject to tax.”
Of the total personal income tax collected, 85% is contributed by the T20 (top 20% income group), who earn more than RM10,000 in monthly income, says Mohd Nizom, who sees this as an unsustainable trend. He understands the grouses of the high-income group as they feel they are being penalised for working hard to earn more. “That’s why the government has to think of other ways of raising revenue, rather than just targeting the T20,” he adds.
Mohd Nizom’s answer to the question of tax reform is the Goods and Services Tax. He describes GST as a low hanging fruit for tax reform. The consumption tax will effectively help widen the tax net and it is a fairer tax in his view. In addition, he believes Malaysians are more receptive to it now.
“I think [the government is] convinced that it needs the tax [GST]. Everyone in the country is [convinced]. Even the ones that took it away. Not only for revenue, but from an equitable perspective,” he says.
GST was implemented at 6% in April 2015 during Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration in the former premier’s bid to raise more revenue amid a rising national debt and falling oil prices. The consumption tax was abolished in 2018 by the Pakatan Harapan administration after various controversies in handling the GST refunds were brought to light following the downfall of the previous government.
Additionally, Mohd Nizom says the government should relook its existing tax incentives for multinational corporations (MNCs) amid the growing adoption of a minimum effective tax rate of 15% globally under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiative.
Read further on tax reform in Thick as a Brick here.
The need is there and urgently required, but the timing is less than perfect.
