There is no need to wait until March 20 to exempt water and electricity charges from the increase in sales and service tax (SST), says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam).
The MCA president said the issue could be easily resolved if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his capacity as Finance Minister, steps in to address the issue immediately.
00:00 [President of the Parliament, Mr. Hock Lee] "I would like to touch on the electric tariff that I have discussed yesterday. Yesterday, the Minister said that he would bring it to the NACO meeting on 20 March.
00:13 [Mr. Hock Lee] "Bang, two more days, one March. Today, the electricity and water bill has been reported, and the SST has been imposed. I think it is not difficult. Indeed, there is power in the Minister of Finance to inform through the report.
00:30 [Mr. Hock Lee] "He said that it is not necessary to be like TCM. Before this, we have to provide the traditional treatment. We can provide the exception. There is no problem. We don't have to wait until 20 March. People will be in a hurry until 20 March, then we can make a decision.
00:43 [Mr. Hock Lee] "I ask you to speed up. It is not true that the electricity and water bill is the basic right. If we can park, we can maintain 6% SST. If we can provide food, why not? We can provide telecommunication, but why can't we provide water and electricity?
00:59 [Mr. Hock Lee] "This is the people's decision. I think the people will support the government. It is true. This is the right action to benefit the people of Jelata."
