Najib Tun Razak Fires Back at SST Debate Over Steamed Buns
Picture‑Proof Sparks the Back‑and‑Forth
On a breezy Tuesday (Sept 11), former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took to Facebook, posting a photo of his humble receipt from a local pau shop (those delicious steamed buns). He challenged the Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng by asking:
- “Don’t you think the SS tax should only hit manufacturers, not us everyday consumers?”
- “I’m not a fab‑factory, so why the 6% tax on my pau?”
SST vs GST – The Classic Tax Mix‑Up
Najib dug in, quoting the conversation that Lim had earlier claimed the pau’s tax was originally a 6% Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is identical in rate to the current Sales and Service Tax (SST). He asked:
- “If the rates are the same, why switch tax systems?”
- “When we swapped the GST for SST, prices didn’t even dip.”
Double Trouble with Ding‑and‑Dunk‑Drinks
Not stopping there, Najib pointed out that his iced lemon tea also carried a 6% tax. According to the latest SST guide, iced lemon tea is supposed to be taxed at 10%. He explained:
- “The shop should’ve already included that tax when buying from the factory, yet I was hit with an extra 10%.”
- “I paid a total of 16% in taxes – that’s a bit more than the 6% GST.”
Twitter Tangles and the Barisan NADUSA Affair
Earlier on Sunday (Sept 9), Najib posted on Twitter about the same issue and even shared a receipt showing an SST charge of RM3.80 (about S$1.30). Lim fired back, saying that Najib hadn’t complained when the Barisan Nasional government rolled out the GST in the first place. The former leader counters that it’s high time people understood the real impact of these taxes.
