KUALA LUMPUR: Business owners registered with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) are only allowed to issue written invoices or receipts on technical grounds.
Customs Department GST Division director Datuk T.Subromaniam said business premises were only allowed to issue manually written receipts temporarily until the technical problem is resolved.
“It should be printed. Only when the machine or system breaks down or when there is an electricity supply disruption (are written invoices allowed).
“We do not allow issuing of written receipts indefinitely,” he said, when contacted yesterday. He made the clarification when asked to comment on traders issuing written receipts and invoices.
Subromaniam said the written receipts should be in pre-printed form with details such as address, name of company and GST registration number.
The Customs Department has so far detected 69 offences committed in regards to the GST, said Subromaniam.
He said the offences were mostly concerning unregistered premises imposing GST (30 cases), registered traders issuing invoices which do not comply with specifications (29 cases), premises not issuing invoices (nine cases) and premises charging GST on zero-rated items (one case).
He said these offenders could be charged under Section 96 of the GST Act 2014, which carries a fine not exceeding RM30,000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, upon conviction.
“We view these offences seriously, especially those unregistered premises imposing GST, and prosecution will be done soon. Investigations have also begun.”
Domestic Trade,Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad said 43 cases related to Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 had also been identified for further investigation, in addition to 60 show-cause notices issued after a check on 14,251 business premises.
He said the number of complaints and enquiries received through the e-ADUAN portal at press time was 1,718, followed by calls (1,248), Facebook (417) and Twitter (324).
The MyKira GST application was getting increasingly popular among consumers with 39,710 using the application, with 7,449 items found to be in the permitted price range while 14,139 were out of range, he said.
Alias also advised consumers to check prices before purchasing goods or services and immediately lodge a complaint to KPDNKK if they found the price displayed exceeded the permitted price.
Subromaniam said there was an increase in the number of companies registering for GST with 2,529 signing up on the second day of its implementation, bringing the total to 367,391 companies.
There were only 59 claims totalling RM7,039.32 made by tourists at the GST Refund Verification counter under the Tourist Refund Scheme, he added.
Malaysia began implementing GST on April 1 as an important reform to strengthen the country’s economy and by taking the interest of the people.
At 6%, the local GST rate is the lowest among Asean countries and the government is targeting to collect revenue for development and build the people’s social infrastructure.
Meanwhile in KOTA KINABALU, the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) in Sabah received 84 complaints on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) since it was introduced on Wednesday, said Sabah KPDNKK director Severinus Tukah.
He said among the complaints received included GST charge on prepaid cards, using receipts without GST registration code, confusing GST receipts, imposition of other charges other than GST, raising prices of goods with zero-rated GST and increasing the price of cigarettes after GST.
Severinus also said 1,118 inspections were conducted with the Sabah Customs Department on wholesalers, retailers, hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini-markets, sundry shops, premises providing services, night markets, wet markets, stalls and food shops as well as restaurants since Wednesday to last night.
Meanwhile in KUCHING, five GST related offences were detected since the tax was introduced on Wednesday.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office, Datuk Naroden Majais said since GST was implemented, nine written warnings and three notices were issued under Section 21 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 to traders throughout the state.
“Since the first day of GST, the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) in Sarawak as well as Customs’ GST Division had inspected 94 premises in the state.
“There were five offences involving sundry goods detected and goods valued at RM1,353.20 were confiscated,” he told reporters after leading an operation with Sarawak KPDNKK and Customs at a supermarket here the other day.
