KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) has continued to hit back at critics who have slammed the Government for introducing Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The Prime Minister said that part of the revenues collected from GST has proven useful to help offset the rising cost of providing public healthcare.

“If people ask, when the Government imposes GST, where is the revenue spent, the answer is that part of it is used to provide healthcare services for Malaysians,” he said in his speech at the “Budi Disemai Jasa Disanjung” event organised by Cuepacs here Thursday.

Najib said the Government has to spend about RM22bil each year on public healthcare services, which only generate between RM400mil to RM500mil in revenue annually.

“As such we cannot politicise GST because when we decide not to raise charges and prices involved in medical treatment, surely we have to make up the shortfall from other sources of revenue,” the Prime Minister said.-thestar