KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 20 -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has ruled out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as Malaysia's primary tax pillar, maintaining that a broad-based consumption tax would disproportionately burden the nation's low-income groups.

Speaking to local media following the launch of the TikTok Shop Summit 2026 today, Anwar emphasised that any tax reform must align with the government's commitment to social equity.

"Whether we need to make some adjustments in the process of improvise the implementation of Sales and Services Tax (SST) or some components of GST, which we can do.

"But the core principle of this government is not to increase taxes for the very poor, therefore GST as a principle cannot be considered," An...