Malaysia gives top priority to ensuring good governance
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said priority must be given to ensuring good governance before considering new types of taxation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said priority must be given to ensuring good governance. (Photo: pmo.gov.my)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian PrimeMinister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said priority must be given to ensuring goodgovernance before considering new types of taxation.
Speaking at a symposium on the Path Towards GreaterProsperity for Malaysia on October 18, the leader said the focus is nottaxation, adding he always believes that taxation should be secondary in anyreasonable public and economic policy initiative.
Good governance is to ensure no unnecessary leakagesand corruption, he continued.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said thatdiscussions regarding Value Added Tax (VAT) and Goods and Services Tax (GST)are relevant, but it should not be forgotten that this country had inherited asignificant governance problem, endemic corruption and deficit figures tograpple with.
It is not because the economy has lost its capacity togrow or the fundamentals are weak – it's how to govern and tolerate this, notedAnwar.
Among the policies to be implemented to addressleakages include targeted subsidies.
Anwar spoke about the importance of clarity ofpolicies, namely the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030, National EnergyTransition Roadmap (NETR) and Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the 12th Malaysia Plan(12MP) as well as political stability were also important to ensure thegovernment could embark on radical policies and reform economy.
On the tax of sugary products, including drinks, heproposed that taxes accrued would be allocated purely for medical treatment ofdiabetes and treatment for sugar-related diseases and not to the Treasury./.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said priority must be given to ensuring good governance. (Photo: pmo.gov.my) 
