Sarawak yet to taste slice of tourism tax pie — Abdul Karim

THE SARAWAK government has yet to receive the state’s share of tourism tax – collected since September 2017 – from the federal government.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said although Putrajaya had informed his ministry earlier this year on the disbursement of Sarawak’s share of tourism tax collected between September 2017 to December 2017, the amount collected has yet to be channelled.

“We wish to applaud the continuation of the tourism tax in the National Budget 2019 which maintains that 50 per cent of the total tourism tax collected by the federal government be given to the state government.

“However, to- date we have not received Sarawak’s share of the tourism tax collected between September 2017 to December 2017 amounting to a total of RM439,731, including those amount due to us for the year 2018,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly ( DUN) yesterday.

He expressed his hope that the federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture will quickly channel the overall amount that is due to the state.

“To- date, the total tourism tax collected till September 2017 is RM4,653,302, which means that the state could receive RM2,326,651.

“This substantial amount will be utilised for organising tourism-related programmes and initiatives.”