The CCM, in collaboration with Wesley Church, Kuala Lumpur, organized a forum on GST on 9th August at Wesley Church, Kuala Lumpur.

Over one hundred people turned up to hear the views of the speakers on the panel comprising : Prof. Dr. Sieh Mei Ling, Ms. Renuka Bhupalan and Mr. Tony Pua.

The session was moderated by Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam.

Prof. Dr. Sieh Meil Ling and Ms. Renuka Bhupalan spoke about the impact the GST would have on ordinary Malaysians and the economy of the country.

Taxation is a fact of life, and the GST taxation system is practiced by many countries in the world. The initial implementation may raise some questions by the general public to determine whether GST will be helpful or detrimental for the nation. Mr. Tony Pua, who is a member of Parliament from the Democratic Action Party, maintained that the timing of the implementation of the GST should be questioned.

With the help of statistics, he sought to show that the implementation of the GST would adversely affect the poorer income group of the nation.

In the Q & A session, the audience raised many questions about whether the GST will burden the people with the rising prices to be anticipated.

Tan Sri Ramon, in his concluding remarks, affirmed that the taxation system is part of national governance. But it is important to raise critical questions to ensure fairness and transparency on the part of the government that implements it.

Although the church, as a non-profit organization would not be adversely affected by the implementation of GST, the church should lend its critical voice for the impact GST would have for the poorer sectors of society.

The Ecumenical Forum have proved to be an indispensible platform for church members to engage with issues of the nation