Goods and Services Tax (Malaysia)

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The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an abolished value-added tax in Malaysia. GST is levied on most transactions in the production process, but is refunded with exception of Blocked Input Tax, to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer.

The existing standard rate for GST effective from 1 April 2015 is 6%. Many domestically consumed items such as fresh foods, water and electricity are zero-rated, while some supplies such as education and health services are GST exempted.

The tax was unpopular. It was reduced to 0% on 1 June 2018.^[1] The then Government of Malaysia tabled the first reading of the Bill to repeal GST in Parliament on 31 July 2018 (Dewan Rakyat).^[2] GST was replaced with the Sales Tax and Service Tax starting 1 September 2018.

Background[]

GST was scheduled to be implemented by the government during the third quarter of 2011,^[3] but the implementation was delayed until 1 April 2015. Its purpose was to replace the sales and service tax which has been used in the country for several decades. The government is seeking additional revenue to offset its budget deficit and reduce its dependence on revenue from Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned oil company. The 6% tax will replace a sales-and-service tax of between 5–15%.^[4][5]

The Goods and Services Tax Bill 2009 was tabled for its first reading at the Dewan Rakyat (the lower house of the Malaysian parliament) on 16 December 2009.^[6] It was delayed amid mounting criticism.^[7][8][9] The government responded by asserting that the tax on oil income will not be sustainable in the future. National Consumer Complaints Centre head Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah has said, “The government should create more awareness on what the GST is. The public cannot be blamed for their lack of understanding, and thus, their fears”. Sha’ani says that the GST will improve accounting, reduce tax fraud, and facilitate enforcement of the upcoming Anti-Profiteering Act. leader Datuk Dr. Ma’amor Osman said the GST could help end dishonest business practices, but expressed concern about how the tax would be applied to medical products and services. A group leading the campaign against the GST, Protes (which objects to the GST because of concerns about its effects on low-income Malaysians), cancelled a planned protest but has stated that they will continue to agitate against the legislation.^[10]

During the government reading of the 2015 budget, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced a GST tax of 6% starting on 1 April 2015. This will replace the Sales and Services Tax.^{[11][12][13][14]} Implementing GST tax will be a part of the Government’s tax reform program to enhance the capability, effectiveness and transparency of tax administration and management. The GST was implemented on 1 April 2015.^[15]

By June 2015, worldwide crude oil prices fell to half its value, with several nations & oil industries considering it a crisis.^[16] The income from the newly implemented GST managed to supplant Malaysia's national budget from the deficit induced by a loss in oil tax revenue.^[17] On 7 March 2016, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim congratulated the government for implementing GST.^[18]

By May 2018, the new Malaysian government, led by Mahathir Mohamad, decided to reintroduce the Sales and Services tax after completely scrapping GST. The GST standard rate has been revised to 0% beginning the 1st of June 2018, pending the total removal of the Goods and Services Tax Act in parliament.^[19]

Zero-rated and exempted supplies[]

Certain good and services, mainly for domestic use and essential services, are categorized as zero-rated supplies and exempted supplies. Zero-rated supplies are taxable supplies that are taxed at a GST of 0%; exempted supplies are non-taxable supplies that are not subjected to GST. While the net effect on consumers for both zero-rated and exempted supplies is the same, i.e. consumers do not pay any GST, the difference lies in the input tax credit claim by businesses. For zero-rated supplies, while GST is charged at the zero rate to the end consumer, businesses may claim input tax credit on the GST incurred in producing the supplies.^[20] On the other hand, for exempted supplies, businesses cannot charge GST to the end consumer, and they are not eligible to claim input tax credit on the GST incurred in producing the supplies.^[21]

Examples of zero-rated supplies:^[22]

1. Agricultural products – paddy, fresh or chilled vegetables, certain provisionally preserved vegetables
2. Essential foodstuff – oils, salt, flour, etc.
3. Livestocks and livestock supplies or poultry – live animals and unprocessed meat
4. Eggs
5. Fish – live, fresh, frozen and dried
6. First 300 kwh of electricity for domestic use
7. Water for domestic users
8. Goods supplied to designated areas from Malaysia – Labuan, Langkawi & Tioman
9. Exported goods
10. Exported services – such as architecture services in connection with land outside Malaysia
11. Selected services in Malaysia – such as pilotage, salvage or towage services
12. International services – such as transport of passengers or goods from a place in Malaysia to a place outside Malaysia
13. RON95 petrol, diesel and LPG
14. Sale of Residential Property
15. Services provided by Government which are not considered commercial services, such as permits, licences etc. Services considered commercial are TV advertisement, rental of equipments, rental of multifunction halls etc.

Examples of exempted supplies:^[23]

1. Financial Services
2. Public Transport Services
3. Private Education Services
4. Tolled Highways or Bridges
5. Childcare Services
6. Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services
7. Private Healthcare Services
8. Supplies Made by Societies
9. Residential Land or Building
10. Agriculture or General Use Land

Abolishment of GST[]

Malaysia announced the "abolishment" of its Goods and Services Tax (GST) effective from 1 June 2018. For the first time since 1957, the ruling party's political power was handed over to the opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH), through the 14th General Election held on 9 May 2018. The PH manifesto states that the abolition's main objective is to put more purchasing power in the hands of the people, particularly the lower-to-middle income earners. The Malaysian people widely view the GST as having contributed to a spike in living cost since it was introduced on 1 April 2015. ^[24]

Ex-Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said that as of 2019, the government stands firm on the people's mandate in the 14th General Election (GE14) to abolish the Barisan Nasional-imposed 6% GST. The (MIER) had called for the government to re-introduce the GST in the 2020 Budget but at a lower rate of 3%. Lim said it has to be referred to the PH Presidential Council to decide on the mechanism to collect input from the people about the GST. He added that the GST had helped contain inflation at the rate of 1.5% in September 2019. In some months, there was even negative inflation. He said that if the return of the six per cent tax rate is allowed, inflation will go up. Lim said the government could juggle its finances despite the shortfall in revenue following the GST abolition.

He said the people made it very clear in rejecting the GST unless there was incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. He said Malaysia would take pre-emptive measures to cushion the drop of global trade growth from 2.6% to 1.2%. The World Trade Organisation said it expects trade volume to grow by just 1.2% in 2019, down from the 2.6% it predicted in April. The world body also cut its global economic growth forecast from 2.6 to 2.3% for 2019. The Malaysian government has shaved off its RM1 trillion debt.^[25]

After the PH's downfall due to Sheraton Move, Deputy Finance Minister I, Abdul Rahim Bakri, said the country faced a revenue shortfall when the previous government replaced the GST with the SST. He said GST collection was higher as the taxation system was more comprehensive and charged on all taxable goods and services at all stages. But he admitted that there was a weakness in implementing the GST, which had indirectly affected the people. He said the government would consider all parties' views and acceptance, including the people, of the tax system's possible reintroduction in 2018. The debate on the Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill 2020 was winding up in Dewan Negara on 29 December 2020. ^[26]

On January 2021, Anwar Ibrahim acknowledges that the GST is the most transparent taxation system. The opposition leader said if it wanted to be returned, a review should be done. Anwar said GST could be implemented as soon as the economy is driven with more confidence. ^[27]

See also[]

• Goods and Services Tax (India)
• Goods and Services Tax (Australia)
• Goods and Services Tax (Canada)
• Goods and Services Tax (New Zealand)
• Goods and Services Tax (Singapore)

References[]

External links[]

• Goods and Services Act 2014
• Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia
• Goods & Services Tax at Royal Malaysian Customs Department
• Goods & Services Tax at Ministry of Finance, Malaysia
• Difference between Grade A (Advanced) and Grade B (Basic) GST Certified Vendor by Royal Malaysian Customs
• List of certified GST Vendor published by Royal Malaysian Customs
• Junior Chamber International Mines Collecting Post-GST Feedbacks
• Personal Loans Malaysia