Kedah mobilises over 200 enforcement officers to monitor prices after zero GST

JITRA: The Kedah office of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) has commissioned more than 200 enforcement officers to monitor the price of goods before and after the implementation of the zero Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will take effect on June 1.
Its deputy director Chin Ching Chung said they would monitor the change in prices of raw and dry goods in all public markets and supermarkets to ensure traders comply with the zero GST policy when it is implemented.
"Each enforcement officer is assigned to monitor five premises and record the prices of 30 types of goods when GST is charged at six percent now and after at zero rate.
"This means each of them should see a price difference in 150 goods as a whole. These checks will be carried out periodically and has started since a few days ago until Hari Raya Aidilfitri," he said after conducting a check at Jitra's public market, here today.
Meanwhile, he said there would be an adequate supply of main food items like eggs, chicken, meat and vegetables ahead of the festive season and the price was also unlikely to increase.
"We have met with government agencies such as the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia, Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority and the wholesalers and they have assured that there will be sufficient supply of these requirements," he said.
On allegations that the price of meat (beef) in Kedah reached RM36 per kilogram, Chin said they had not received any report on the case and asked those with information to report to KPDNKK.
This is because based on the monitoring, more than 90% of premises selling meat charged RM33 to RM34 per kilogramme, which has been the standard price for the past few years. — Bernama