Sabah the only State with no SST on rice
Published on: Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is the only State in the country enjoying Sales and Services Tax (SST) exemption for all types of rice and paddy. This followed new changes to the list of exempted goods under the Schedule B - Sales Tax (Person Exempted from Payment of Tax) Order 2018 List of Controlled Goods – controlled articles under the Control of Supplies Act 1961.Others on the list are sugar, milk, salt, cement and clinker, wheat flour, cooking oil, fertilisers, pesticides, formic acid, mild steel round bars, kerosene, prepared or preserved fish in air-tight containers, petrol motor spirit and motor gasoline of all grades, diesel fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), all types of bread, fuel oil, chicken, rubber wood and face mask.
ADVERTISEMENT
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng also announced on Malaysia Day (Sept 16) here that the 10 per cent SST on camera equipment, mobile phones and re-treaded tyres will be reduced to five per cent. He was addressing some 500 people at the Pacific Sutera Ballroom on the SST 2.0, with some even coming from Sarawak and the peninsula."It's one per cent less than the previous GST regime," he explained why the SST is better than the Goods and Services Tax (GST)."The list of over 5,000 items exempted will expand further after more consideration on appeal by the people," said Lim.
ADVERTISEMENT
"For example, on the confusion among outdoor advertisers whether they are subjected to SST, we will look into it and make known to them later," he added."There are lots of challenges. We will continue to listen and help the people as this is your government that cares. The previous Finance Minister never bothered to consult you before implementing the GST.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was always a top-down approach. If he had listened to you, he would have known that GST increased the cost of living," Lim took a pot shot at Datuk Seri Najib Razak."This is the second time I am here in Sabah to answer your questions. This shows how serious I treat Sabah as one of the three equal partners of Malaysia. I am happy to have answered all the questions this time unlike the first two weeks ago at Hilton," he said of the 16 briefing sessions conducted around the country to educate the public on SST.Lim went to the toilet after one Lee Swi Heng asked: "We have purchased a helicopter from Canada through Textron Bell. It was fully paid in April 2018 and delivered to Seletar, Singapore. Under the GST, big items such as helicopter were exempted but taxable at 10 per cent under SST. We are about to bring this helicopter to Subang Airport for our operations and it will be taxed. We are seeking either the Customs and/or Ministry of Finance to grant exemption or dispensation on this. Kindly advise the next course of action the company should embark."Customs Department Director-General Datuk Seri T. Subromaniam, after deliberating on the question, said like Jho Low's boat, "Equanimity", it is a big item and should be subjected to SST. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
