KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 22 -- MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has urged the government to exclude water and electricity from the upcoming 2 percentile pile increase in sales and service tax (SST), just like for food and beverages (F&B), parking and telecommunications charges.

Wee said that including the utilities in the planned SST hike would increase the financial burden on consumers, leading to higher costs down the line, The Star reported today.

"The exemption is only given to F&B, parking and telecommunications, and only these sectors have been given a waiver. But water and electricity are being subjected to an increase.

"Every consumer would need to pay, so it would lead to an increase in production costs for manufacturers as wel...