By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 14: Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg showed off four books that he described as behind the State’s highest revenue performance of RM13.3 billion for 2023.
The four books are copies of the Federal Constitution, Constitution of the State of Sarawak, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and Cobbold Commission Report.
Speaking during a town hall session at Hikmah Exchange here last night (Jan 13), Abang Johari said Sarawak has several provisions in the law which state that it has the power to increase its income; one of them was through the imposition of State Sales Tax (SST).
“That is why I have imposed SST to Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas). Petronas resisted at first, but I told them that we (Sarawak) have the power under the Constitution to impose SST.
“Thus, from an economic perspective, this is one of the important instruments to earn income, and I make use of it,” he said.
In addition, he believed that Sarawak’s economy should be diversified and not depend on oil and gas (O&G) alone, especially after the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the Paris Agreement (COP21) in 2015 and most recently, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Therefore, I diversified our base and Alhamdulillah, we impose SST not only to Petronas but also to others, although the quantum is according to the discretion of both parties. This has given more return to Sarawak,” he added.
On Jan 12, Abang Johari announced that Sarawak’s revenue for the year 2023 hit a record high at RM13.3 billion. — DayakDaily
