MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has thrown his support behind Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s call for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be reinstated.
Wee said GST should be brought back as a standalone tax system rather than combined with the existing Sales and Service Tax (SST), arguing that the two were based on different taxation concepts.
His remarks came after Zahid urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his policy speech at the 2026 Umno General Assembly today to listen to public sentiment and reinstate GST.
“We need to make a bold decision. Otherwise, we will keep wavering without deciding, and end up with a hybrid system,” Wee told reporters after Zahid’s speech at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
“From the moment I heard the word ‘hybrid’, I said no. Either you go back to GST or continue with SST,” he said.
Wee said he had consistently supported the return of GST, adding that its reinstatement should remain a common cause among all Barisan Nasional component parties as a way to increase government revenue.
“After eight years, we are still saying the same thing to add to our (government) revenue,” he said.
He also pointed to a Finance Ministry publication that compared GST and SST across eight aspects, saying the document showed GST to be the superior system.
“This is not something I am saying. It is a book published by the Finance Ministry itself,” Wee said.
Commenting on Zahid’s wider policy address, Wee said the Umno president had clearly laid out the party’s direction.
“I regard it as a good policy speech that clearly explains Umno’s direction,” he said.
Wee also said Zahid’s proposed “grand collaboration” — which would allow political cooperation while preserving the identities of individual parties — reflected the current political landscape.
GST was introduced at a rate of six per cent in 2015 under then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The tax was abolished by the previous Pakatan Harapan government in 2018 and replaced with SST.
