KUALA LUMPUR: Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman criticized the plans to replace the current fleet of official government cars for ministers with luxury electric vehicles. He expressed his discontent in a TikTok post uploaded after the Budget 2024 announcement in Parliament.
During a press conference, the Muar MP also highlighted his concerns regarding the Sales Services Tax (SST) increase from 6% to 8%. He claimed that this increase would only burden the public, stating, “This is GST (goods and services tax), but using an increase in SST to mask it from the public from the truth?”
He emphasized the additional costs borne by restaurant operators and how these expenses would be passed on to consumers, even if the increase in SST doesn’t cover food and beverages. Syed Saddiq argued that the government needs to consider the impact on consumers.
The Muar MP expressed his apprehension regarding the targeted subsidies introduced in the Budget 2024, stating that it would make many Malaysians struggle. He emphasized the need for the government to take geographical factors into account, explaining that the income classification of a household in Kelantan may differ significantly from a household in the Klang Valley.
Although a household making RM8,000 a month in Kelantan can be considered T20 in that state, they would be classified as B40 when in Kuala Lumpur, highlighting the substantial gap between income levels.
