Businessman barred from leaving country over GST payment

KUCHING: A businessman here was barred from leaving the country due to an overdue Goods and Services Tax (GST) payment by a company of which he is a director and a shareholder.

Chung Nyuk Swee, 66, said the outstanding payment was not even a personal debt and the authorities did not bother to render the courtesy of informing him of the overdue amount.

He found out about the travel ban imposed by the Customs Department at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) while preparing to depart for Singapore around 5pm last Friday (June 30).

Chung said he could not be more appalled at the travel ban as his flight was scheduled to take off in an hour.

"I even asked the immigration officer if I can just settle the outstanding payment and leave for Singapore where I have business to attend.

"The immigration officer told me to go to the Customs (Department office) at the airport to find out more, which I did. That was when I was told that I was banned from leaving the country because of an outstanding GST payment.

"But (they) could not tell me the amount. And so I was left with no choice but to find out more when I got home later," he told a press conference in the presence of Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong yesterday.

Chung said he communicated with other company directors and then settled the overdue GST payment on Friday evening, thinking that he could fly to Singapore the following day.

However, he was still barred from leaving Malaysia despite having settled the outstanding amount.

He said the reason given by KIA Customs was that the authorities could lift the ban only after a clearance directive from Putrajaya.

"I even showed them the official receipt to prove that I settled the outstanding amount of RM2,739.04. But they still cannot lift the travel ban.