Economic Views

Goodbye GST, Hello SST

The sudden change in policy with regards to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) after the 14th General Election last month was met with mixed reaction. Although “GST abolition” was one of its election pledges, not many expected the new government to move swiftly to zero-rate all products and services under GST by June. It …

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Aiming for targeted income groups

We are almost there, according to the World Bank. Malaysia’s aspiration to become a high-income country will be realised in the next few years. The World Bank’s 2017 estimate of Malaysia’s average per capita gross national income (GNI) of US$9,660 is roughly 21 percent below the level needed to achieve high-income-nation status, i.e. US$12,236 or …

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Grab, Uber and the Economy

Cab drivers are among the best people who can tell us about the state of the economy in any country. They can provide a good glimpse of people’s purchasing power by the number of rides they have with their passengers every day. They also have the habit of re-telling stories that their passengers – who …

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2018: THE “WHAT IF” YEAR

I remember some years back a popular TV advertisement used the phrase “What if…?” to denote the possibility of a potential scenario unfolding, and how we should be prepared for it. In the context of the global and Malaysian economic landscape, the same “what if” question may have to be asked when looking at the …

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