{"id":34497,"date":"2018-06-04T14:26:15","date_gmt":"2018-06-04T06:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=34497"},"modified":"2018-06-04T14:26:15","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T06:26:15","slug":"pakatan-harapan-announcements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/pakatan-harapan-announcements","title":{"rendered":"5 Major Announcements Made By The Pakatan Government\u2026 And What They Mean To You"},"content":{"rendered":"
The month of May has been an eventful month (to say the least) for Malaysians. After ruling the country for 61 years, Barisan Nasional lost the general election for the first time, making way for the new government under Pakatan Harapan.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the winning coalition, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was a Prime Minister for 22 years under Barisan Nasional between 1981 and 2003, once again leads the country.<\/p>\n
There were a number of things promised by Pakatan Harapan in their manifesto during the campaigning period. In less than a month, some of these items have been checked off the list.<\/p>\n
Here are 5 things announced and\/or implemented thus far, and how they can have an impact on our finances:<\/p>\n
One of the many downfalls of the previous government was the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) back in 2015<\/a>. Before the 14th<\/sup> General Election, Pakatan Harapan, the then-opposition party, vowed to abolish GST in the first 100 days of administration, to alleviate the financial burden of the people.<\/p>\n They made good on their promise on May 16, 2018, when the Finance Ministry announced that GST will be zero-rated for all items and services in Malaysia starting from June 1.<\/p>\n This means consumers will be able to make their purchases without the additional 6%. Many consumers are rejoicing at the announcement, however, to replace some of the revenue from GST, the Sales and Services Tax (SST) will be reinstated in September.<\/p>\n The three months tax holiday will see a spike in spending in the country, especially on luxury and big-ticket items, such as renovation, jewellery, and even cars.<\/p>\n So, will prices of items be cheaper when GST is replaced by SST? There is no \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d answer to this question because it depends on the SST rate imposed by the government (it has yet to be announced) and also the type of product or service.<\/p>\n Some of the products that will likely see a decrease in pricing are vehicles, banking services, computers, laptops, iPads, mobile phones, men\u2019s watches and cosmetics, as these were tax-free before GST.<\/p>\n According to Honda<\/a>, the price of a Honda City S (Standard) post-June 1 will be RM4,282 cheaper than with GST. The overall reduction in prices for Honda vehicles will range from RM4,088 to RM18,072 in Peninsular Malaysia. For those who are shopping for a car, the period between June and September will be the best time to make your purchase.<\/p>\n However, items that will likely see an increase in prices<\/a> are items such as electrical appliances including television sets, refrigerators, air-conditioners, consumer items such as soft drinks and imported fruits, as well as goods like diapers, sanitary pads, and furniture.<\/p>\n Items that were exempted from GST will remain exempted. These items include private healthcare, private education, and sale or lease of residential properties.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently announced that the government will retain the current price of RON95 and diesel at the pumps, but the price of the premium RON97 petrol will be subject to a float system from June 7 onwards.<\/p>\n At present, RON95 is priced at RM2.20 per litre while diesel is priced at RM2.18 per litre. The premium RON97 is priced at RM2.47 per litre. These retail fuel prices have remained unchanged since before the 14th<\/sup> General Election, despite crude oil prices rising to US$75.39 (RM299.98) per barrel.<\/p>\n The decision is in line with the Pakatan\u2019s manifesto of reintroducing fuel subsidies to targeted groups. The subsidy will be targeted at those with cars smaller than 1,300cc and motorbikes smaller than 125cc. Further details of the subsidy have not been announced at the time of writing.<\/p>\n Topping the priority list of the newly sworn-in Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Women and Family Development, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution for housewives.<\/p>\n This is one of the promises made in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto.<\/p>\n Dr Wan Azizah proposed an EPF contribution for homemakers to comprise 2% of the husband\u2019s EPF contribution and RM50 from government funds. She reassured the breadwinner that the 2% will be taken from the current 11% contribution, and not on top of it.<\/p>\n The details will be ironed out and announced after her discussion with the EPF officers.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how it might work for a homemaker who is eligible for the scheme:<\/p>\n\n<\/span>2. Stabilise oil prices<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>3. EPF savings for housewives<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n