Two opposition MPs have raised questions over 'hidden taxes' imposed by the government on the sales of petrol and diesel, based on the latest pump prices announced for this month.
Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said this was derived from his own calculation of petrol prices, fixed according to a managed float system that is based on the monthly average world price of crude oil.
He said in a statement that if the market price was higher than the managed float price based on the set formula, the difference would be the amount of hidden tax imposed by the government on the people.
“I can inform that calculations based on the formula for managed float price for August 2016, using the average market price and exchange rate for July, should show the price of RON95 down by another 10 sen per litre.
“However, the price at the petrol pumps, as set by the government through the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry showed that the price of RON95 has remained at RM1.75 per litre,” he said.
Citing the figure, Rafizi said that it would mean that Malaysians would be paying 10 sen in tax for every litre of RON95 purchased throughout this month.
“I believe the situation is similar for RON97 and diesel, although I did not do the calculations…,” he added.
With an estimated annual consumption of 17 billion litres of petrol, Rafizi said that 10 sen per litre tax would be equivalent to about RM142 million in additional income for this month.
The PKR vice-president, however, said that the projected income was only a conservative estimate as the consumption figure was based on an Energy International Agencies report from 2011.
“I believe that the RM142 million in taxes was collected to cover for government subsidies paid in May and June, when the oil price was set lower than the floated price, because of two important elections – the Sarawak state election in May, and the Kuala Kangsar, Sungai Besar by-elections in June,” he claimed.
Rafizi urged the ministry to publish its own detailed calculations since the managed float system was implemented in December 2014, for the people to gauge the actual amount of 'hidden taxes' collected.
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching also said the government must explain why diesel price was increased by 10 sen to RM1.70 per litre from today, as the price of industrial diesel is only RM1.39 per litre.
This was in comparison with RM1.60 per litre last month, when industrial diesel was only sold at RM1.45 per litre.
“If the retail price of diesel is based on the monthly average world price of crude oil in July, the selling price for diesel should have gone down and not up in August.
“But, the BN government has never failed to ‘surprise’ the rakyat,” she said.
She also echoed Rafizi’s call for the government to come clean on the amount of hidden petrol tax that has been collected since the managed float system was implemented.
