KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 31): Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) and Khazanah Nasional Bhd should be given time to explain their RM43.9 million losses after selling their stakes in e-commerce platform FashionValet Sdn Bhd for RM3.1 million.
“We are monitoring the issue. I have not yet gotten the full report about what exactly happened.
“This came up from a parliamentary response. So, I think, we have to give them a little bit of time to explain themselves. It was public money, and of course, a lot of people are asking,” Fahmi said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Finance revealed in a written parliamentary reply that Khazanah and PNB lost RM43.9 million from the sale of their minority investments in FashionValet.
In 2018, Khazanah invested RM27 million and PNB RM20 million for minority stakes in FashionValet.
No ChatGPT subscription tax
Meanwhile, the government has never discussed any proposals to introduce a ChatGPT subscription tax as rumoured on social media, according to Fahmi.
He said it is common knowledge that any proposal for a new tax must be brought to Parliament, and not just discussed at the Cabinet level.
"To date, we have not discussed this matter, whether in the Cabinet or among ministers, regarding the proposal to impose a tax [on ChatGPT subscriptions].
"We also did not hear about this in Budget 2025 presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, so in my opinion, this matter should not be entertained," he told reporters after attending the 2024 Madani Deepavali Open House here.
The celebration, organised by the Ministry of Digital, was attended by Anwar, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as well as other Cabinet members and deputy ministers.
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