27/11/2012 (Bernama) - Eighteen Members of Parliament, led by Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee, today submitted a letter to Marie-Louise Fort, the Chairperson of the France Malaysia - Friendship Group of the French National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale.

The letter conveyed the Malaysian MPs concern over the 300 tax increase on palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil that was proposed by Senator Yves Daudigny on Nov 7 to the Commission des Affaires.

Though the French National Assembly rejected the palm oil tax hike, the MPs in the letter expressed concern that the proposal to increase tax on palm oil or similar punitive measures could be reintroduced at subsequent stages.

Copies of the letter were distributed to the media at the Parliament lobby at a press conference by Kiandee on the matter.

"This new tax if reintroduced will only serve to raise prices of food for French consumers and at the same time affect the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of poor farmers in Malaysia and millions of their dependants," said the letter.