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SHAH ALAM -- The government's decision to cancel the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project is justified as the cost involved is too high and the agreement, a lop-sided deal, said Federal Territories  Minister Khalid Abdul Samad. He said the cancellation was made by the government after discussions with all parties while safeguarding the interests of the country. "It is the outcome of the discussion, not that we do not want to carry out (the ECRL project), but the cost is just too high. We had to also see whether what Najib (former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak) had negotiated before was really beneficial to the country or not. "Many have already declared that it (the ECRL agreement) is biased. If China agrees to have the agreement renegotiated for the good of our country, Alhamdulilah (praise be to God)," he said at the sacrificial slaughter of 14 cows and three goats in his Shah Alam parliamentary constit...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Sales and Services Tax (SST) can be implemented as scheduled on Sept 1, 2018, as the conversion  from the  Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime will not be time consuming. Head, Sage Asia Startups and Small Businesses, Kamlesh Mahtani, said although its only nine days to the dateline, businesses do not need to implement a new custom system for the conversion to SST. “The system is already in place and the tax percentage imposed is clear. Although the SST takes force on Sept 1, companies still have until the end of September to register with the Customs Department,” he told Bernama.  When asked if the GST was a more comprehensive tax and more effective in curbing tax leakages, Mahtani agreed that it was more structured, but heavier penalties await those who attempt to evade the SST. “There are higher penalties for tax evasion by way of filing false claims and the government will...