Hotel operators to display final rates

THE Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry will be meeting hotel operators to ensure that they only advertise their final accommodation rates to avoid confusion among guests.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, said the operators are to advertise rates that included all taxes.

“They cannot advertise a price, which excludes the taxes and other charges,” he said during his wind-up on the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Amendment) Bill 2017.

This bill and the Trade Descriptions (Amendment) Bill 2017 were passed yesterday.

Hamzah said all traders are required to display a single price on their goods or services, but are free to display the other charges like service charge or goods and services tax.

“The displayed rates are the amount to be paid at the counter at the end of the day.

The government seeks to make it compulsory for any person or business premises to display or quote the final price of goods and services or face penalties.

The proposed new section in Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Amendment) Bill 2017 seeks to require any person to display, advertise, publish or quote a final price including all government taxes, duties and other charges which are to be imposed by the person on his goods or services.

“This is to overcome the display of prices or charges that are subject to multiple additional charges, resulting in higher final prices to be paid by consumers,” the bill stated.

The bill will introduce a new section to promote transparency in the display, advertisement, publication or quotation of prices or charges.

It also proposed to empower the government to direct any person who supplies or offers to supply any goods or services to provide any return, document or information containing the prices of goods or charges for any services imposed by a person.

“The information collected will be used by the government to obtain data on prices of goods and charges for services for analysis purposes,” it stated.

Any company that contravenes these regulations shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM100,000, and for a second and subsequent offence, a fine not more than RM250,000.

Individuals shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM50,000 and/or two years imprisonment, while for a second and subsequent offence, a fine of not more than RM100,000 and/or five years’ imprisonment.