Most Sabah eateries should not charge SST – director

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah office of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry expects the prices of goods to remain status quo for the next one to two weeks.

This is because the goods that are currently being sold are from the old stocks, its Sabah office director Yahya Sulaiman, told reporters yesterday.

He urged retailers not to increase the prices of goods and to cooperate with the government.

Two car service outlets were issued notices yesterday for selling auto parts that were part of an old stock at higher prices, he said, following a statewide check on outlets to ensure adherence to the new directive.

“We will conduct checks and make (price) comparison … do not simply increase the prices,” he warned.

In a briefing earlier, reporters were made aware that most of the eateries in Sabah should not be charging the Sales and Services Tax (SST).

Their prices should remain the same. And since the price of sugar has gone down, there should be some price reduction, the reporters were told.

A mention was also made that there should not be changes in prices over the next two to three months.

Reporters were also made aware than retailers and suppliers were not required to register for the SST as it is only applicable to manufacturers and importers.

Members of the public are also urged to check and to request for receipts from outlets that charge them SST to ensure the shops are registered with the Customs Department.

Shops that are not registered cannot charge the SST and use this as an excuse to hike the prices of their goods.

A total of 30 teams and 180 personnel are involved in the ongoing checks on all businesses, Yahya said.