Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek must tell Malaysians what are the factors taken into consideration in the calculation of fuel prices under the managed float system.
Previous statements by government leaders have said that the government has never imposed any sales tax on RON 95 while a sale tax of 58 sen per litre has been imposed on RON 97.
The present price of RON 95 is RM2.26 per litre while RON97 is RM2.46 per litre.
Why is there only a difference of 20 sen between the two petrol types if there is no sales tax imposed on RON 95? Or has the past tax exemption being taken into consideration?
Is Hasan going to say that it is cheaper to produce RON 97, the premium grade? So much cheaper that even with the imposition of 58 sen sales tax, it should only differ by 20 sen from the RON 95 price?
So is past sale tax exemption for RON 95 taken into consideration when fixing the new RON 95 price effective yesterday? And if it was a factor, does it not mean that if it was not a factor considered, RON 95 price would have been much lower?
Datuk Seri Hasan must not think that general explanations are satisfactory enough, he must reveal in details how the managed float system works and how the new fuel prices have been calculated.
Yesterday, he had explained that the increase of 3 sen in diesel price was due to the large amount of subsidy given out by the government before.
His answer was shocking to Malaysians who have thought that only market forces will determine the new prices under the new managed float system.
Why is past subsidy used a factor? Is the managed float system being used as a tool to recoup past subsidy incurred by the government?