Speaking to FMT, he said the Statistics Department would have the figures.
“If prices did not go up because of GST, show us the evidence,” he said. “Choose the most used items in a Malaysian household and put the prices up for people to compare.”
He said he was particularly interested in the prices of food items, but added that the department should have no problem providing a breakdown of the costs of other items and of services such as entertainment and transport.
Indeed, he added, the department should give such information regularly so that the public could monitor the cost of living.
“The prices can be published every month or every six months,” he said.
Noting that the current Consumer Price Index is based on average prices, he said this showed that the department was in possession of detailed information on market prices and was therefore able to provide such information to the public.
He also demanded that the department show how it arrives at the averages. “We don’t know how these calculations are done,” he said.
In many developed countries, the governments run cost of living calculators online to help people determine what items they could afford with their salaries.
The New Zealand government has one of the most comprehensive of such calculators. It also puts up links to supermarkets so that people can check the prices of items.
In Singapore, the government has a cost of living calculator for accommodation, medicines, transport, food, clothing, communication, recreation, child care and education.
The British government runs a minimal standard income calculator.
Irwan Serigar surprised why Sheila complains about cost of living