LIM: DRIED FISH, PRAWNS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO SST
KOTA KINABALU: Dried prawn and fish products are exempted from the Sales and Services Tax (SST), said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
Lim said the five per cent sales tax supposedly imposed on essential food products, such as ikan jeruk and ikan kering/masin under the Fish and Sea Creature category was untrue.
“If there is, maybe it was overlooked. Perhaps, the tax imposed was based on the previous proposal list.
“There is a new list, which everyone should check. Dried fish and prawn, among other items, are exempted from SST,” he said after attendingan SST briefing and
forum here yesterday.
He also said the people should propose to the ministry other items that should be exempted from SST.
“We will review if the situation requires us to and we will decide by the end of the year. The ministry has the power to make amendments,” Lim said.
Present was Customs director-general Datuk Seri T. Subromaniam.
To ensure traders would not take advantage of SST, Lim said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) would go down to the ground to ensure there was no profiteering.
Subromaniam said the Customs Department would work with KPDNHEP to look into setting recommended retail prices.
Earlier in his speech, Lim warned telecommunications companies against deducting value from customers’ prepaid topup card as the item was exempted from SST.
“When a customer purchases a RM10 prepaid top-up card, he should get RM10.
“We will assure customers get the same prepaid value. There should be no deduction (in prepaid card value).
“It should not be ‘we take first and rebate later’. We’ll sort out this issue with all telecommunications companies,” he said.
Lim is expected to meet telecommunications companies today.