Shopee expresses support for digital tax

KUALA LUMPUR: Shopee, a leading e- commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, is supportive of the digital tax to be implemented on Jan 1 next year.

The government plans to impose a digital service tax of six per cent on foreign digital service providers from Jan 1, 2020.

Shopee Malaysia head of business Zed Li believed the government’s decision would give the best outcome for the country and the industry.

“If the tax is implemented, we will support the move; and we are here to work together with the government,” he told reporters after launching a Buy Malaysia online campaign with Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail here Thursday.

Also present was the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry’s deputy secretary- general (domestic trade) Datuk Badrul Hisham Mohd.

Shopee is partnering with the ministry to bring the Buy Malaysia campaign online and to the region to encourage the purchase of Malaysianmade products and help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

According to Li, there are currently 130 Malaysian-made product sellers participating in the campaign, offering over 2,300 products that include beauty and fashion products, food and beverages and home appliances.

“The collaboration with the ministry will run until year- end, and the campaign participants could benefit from the 10.10 Brands Festivals to the global 11.11 and 12.12 mega shopping events,” he said.

To ensure prominent visibility of Malaysianmade products on the online platform, Li said a Buy Malaysia collection page had been created for the customers to discover truly Malaysian items such as sambal belacan and curry paste.

He said a new Shopee International Platform would be introduced soon to enable Malaysian entrepreneurs to expand their businesses to international markets.

Shopee currently has about 20 million users in Malaysia and more than 200 million users in the region. — Bernama