Kuala Lampur, Feb. 2 -- Malaysia's persistently low tax collection - hovering at around 13 per cent of GDP - is no longer a narrow technical issue best left to accountants or budget specialists.

It is a political, social, and ultimately civilisational challenge. A state that collects so little cannot indefinitely promise so much. At some point, arithmetic catches up with aspiration.

By regional comparison alone, Malaysia's position is increasingly untenable.

Thailand, often portrayed domestically as fiscally less disciplined, collects up to 16 per cent of its GDP in taxes - at least three percentage points higher than Malaysia. In fiscal terms, that gap is enormous.

Three percentage points translate into tens of billions of ringgit an...