It has been said that the government is planning to introduce a new tax on e-commerce transactions.
The Deputy Communications and Media Minister, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin has said that the tax will probably amount to RM0.20 for purchase amounting to RM1,000 and below.
However, the deputy minister has said that they have not set a minimum taxable transaction amount, reported Harian Metro.
“This is still in the planning stages within the ministry. It has not been presented yet and this is one way to look for other sources that will not burden the rakyat.”
“At the same time, the service charge that has been collected will be used for the improvement of the communications security system to avoid cyber intrusion and scammers.”
“This is not the Goods and Service Tax (GST) because as of now, there are many online transactions that are untaxed and this, in turn, cause the losses and leakage of government funds.”
“To start implementing this tax, it is quite complicating and it needs to be approved by the parliament first.”
This plan was told to the public at a press conference after the officiation of a community program at Pengkalan Petah.
He added that these days, cyber-attacks have been happening globally and it causes data leakage. As an example, the Western Union case that has caused losses of up to millions.
“Because of that, our country’s cybersecurity level needs to be amped up and strengthened to avoid that from happening.”
“So we need to help each other to cover the costs of communication improvement because it is quite a big expenditure.”
Former PNB CEO, Jalil Rasheed has commented on this issue on Twitter.
When you should be encouraging online sales, you suggest taxing it. This Deputy Minister is a gift that keeps on giving. https://t.co/cwgF8Lmwdr
— Jalil Rasheed (@TheManajemen) September 8, 2020
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