Datuk Seri Najib Razak had proposed a temporary recovery tax targeted at the rich to save the country’s economy but Malaysians have identified the hypocrisy.

The former Prime Minister said that he proposes a temporary Covid-19 recovery tax package for two years.

This will include a windfall tax, luxury condominiums development tax, stamp duty on transactions, inheritance tax, stock market trading tax, and higher personal income tax on high-income individuals.

He added that social media platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Google and Facebook should be taxed as they have been leeching on the nation without paying taxes.

“This is not new. Other countries like Australia and Indonesia have demanded payment and they received it from these companies. Malaysia must do the same,” he said.

However, Malaysians were criticising him as its hypocrisy coming from a person being charged with evading taxes.

Prasath Thanaraju on Twitter told Najib to pay his tax first. He could not believe that for someone being asked to pay unpaid billions of taxes, he was asking the government to tax the wealthy.

Chiek also said that it was hilarious as Najib had been charged and convicted for stealing money.

“Not to mention billions that are missing under his watch and he is proposing a recovery tax,” the angry Malaysian said.

In 2013, Najib has publicly stated that tax evasion was tantamount to an act of treason due to taxes being a pillar of patriotism.

But earlier this year he and his children were required to pay back RM 1.75 billion in income tax arrears between 2011 to 2017.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE