MALAYSIA FLOODED WITH MORE THAN 400 CALLS ON THE FIRST DAY GST TAKING EFFECT?

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Flooded with more than 400 calls on the first day of the goods and services tax (GST) taking effect, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry said today that the majority concerned the price increase in prepaid phone cards.

The ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad said a total of 419 calls were made to the government’s GST hotline, adding that 118 of those callers complained about the telecommunications companies under the anti-profiteering law.

“The most popular complaint, 33 per cent was about prepaid top-ups,” he told reporters at the Finance Ministry here during a joint press conference with Customs GST director Datuk Subromaniam Tholasy.

The second-highest number of calls to the hotline at 24 per cent were complaints about the prices of cigarettes, mineral water and foodstuff like chicken, squid and sugar, he said.

Subromaniam clarified that prepaid phone card prices previously had the six per cent sales tax (SST) embedded.

He added that with the GST replacing the old tax, the prices for the top-up phone cards should not change.

Alias said out of the seven notices issued to traders today, four were regarding the sale of prepaid phone cards.

They were given three days to provide an explanation, he added.

Under the Anti-Profiteering Act 2010, individuals convicted can be fined up to RM100,000 or sentenced three years’ jail, or both,while companies can be fined up to RM500,000 for the first offence and RM1 million
for subsequent offences.

Source: The Malay Mail