SUPP man calls on DAP leaders to fulfil promises of tackling rising cost of living
(Standing, from fifth left) Wong, Kong and Dr Soon (seated in front of Wong) pose for a photo session during the mobile service.
SIBU (June 23): Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) Central assistant publicity and information secretary Wong Ching Yong reminded Democratic Action Party (DAP) ministers and MPs of their obligation in tackling the rising cost of living.
He said they had frequently promised to ease the people's difficulties before assuming power in the federal government but pointed out that not only had DAP failed to fulfil its pre-election promise of reducing prices, they instead contributed to price hikes.
'With the rollout of a series of new policies, particularly the expansion of the Sales and Service Tax (SST), the increase in electricity tariffs in Peninsula and changes in fuel and gas subsidies, another wave of price hikes is expected after July.
'Yet we have not seen any effective countermeasures from Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders who head key federal ministries, including DAP's deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, whose performance has been wholly inadequate,' he told a press conference during the SUPP Dudong and Sibu Jaya mobile service at a coffee shop here yesterday.
He said with these policies, businesses were expected to raise their prices—severely impacting the public, particularly the B40 group—and the worrying part was that about 97 per cent of products would be affected by the SST, according to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers.
'This completely contradicts the federal government's claims that the new tax structure would have minimal impact on low-income groups,' he said.
Wong said while Sarawak was protected from the electricity tariff hike due to Gabungan Parti Sarawak's (GPS) governance, its implementation in Peninsula would raise industrial electricity costs which would inevitably be passed on to product prices.
He said the fuel subsidy adjustments would have a similar effect, as Sarawak heavily depended on goods imported from the Peninsula and the increased production and transportation costs would drive up prices in local markets.
He also highlighted another controversial item included in the tax net, namely imported fruits.
'Although the federal government claims the SST targets luxury imported fruits, the actual list includes apples, oranges, pears, mangoes and dates—which are commonly consumed by the B40 group.
'We must not ignore a key point: Malaysia is highly dependent on imported fruits. Most local fruits are seasonal or lack sufficient production to meet daily market demand. Therefore, the new tax on imported fruits will inevitably lead to price hikes and affect the people's daily nutritional intake.'
He said DAP and PH leaders must understand the lower a person's income, the higher the proportion of their income that goes towards paying SST.
'For example, a B40 individual earning RM1,700 a month spends more than 85 per cent of their income on basic needs such as food and transport—all of which are heavily exposed to the new tax. In other words, the supposed fiscal fairness of the new tax could end up legally exploiting vulnerable groups.
'Take the eight per cent SST on the beauty industry as another example. The federal government naively believes this won't impact low-income groups—does this mean in the eyes of DAP ministers that low-income women don't have the right to pursue beauty? Furthermore, the higher costs could create room for unlicensed operators to flourish, posing additional public safety risks,' he stressed.
He also brought up the Inland Revenue Board's implementation of the Stamp Duty Audit Framework, which came into effect January 1, 2025.
He said employers must ensure employment contracts are stamped and they must self-assess and pay stamp duties.
'While RM10 per contract may seem trivial, if a company has many employees and there is a lack of clarity about the policy leading to delays, the accumulated taxes and fines could become a significant financial burden, especially for private companies already struggling in a weak economy.
'Moreover, stamp duty exemption is only granted for employees earning below RM300 per month—an amount far below Malaysia's current minimum wage of RM1,700. Is this reasonable?'
Also present were SUPP Dudong advisor Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck and SUPP Sibu Jaya chairman Kong Sing Ping.
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