Thanks, but no thanks.
Honestly, now that the Sales and Service Tax (SST) has been re-introduced, we don't exactly feel like stuff are cheaper compared to when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was in place.We still can't afford to buy the stuff we really want and we are still pretty much very broke at the end of the month.
However, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng reminded us that there are things that are cheaper after the SST came into place.
Like these five car brands, for example.
Guan Eng told The Star Online that the Ministry received information that after the implementation of the SST, prices for several makes of cars recorded a reduction of up to RM3,000.
The price drop was due to the "government collecting less tax compared to the GST", which enables the prices of goods to be flexible, he revealed.
Good news, right? Well, not entirely.
If you're a fresh grad or a cash-strapped first year employee looking for your first car, this piece of news won't help you that much (sorry).
According to the Finance Minister, the five makes were Perodua, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW.
Yep, four of the five makes are imported car brands, which means that unless you're from a well-to-do family or you have a high-paying job, you probably wouldn't be able to afford these cars post-SST.
Bummer!
Giving examples, Guan Eng said a Perodua Axia is now priced at RM40,390 post-SST, compared to RM41,497 during the GST era.
A Toyota Vios is now priced at RM93,200 (from RM93,980), a Volkswagen Polo is only RM74,900 (from RM76,888) and the BMW 118i is priced at RM185,800 (from RM188,800), he added.
Sigh, we guess we'll just walk to work lah.