Public Can Lodge SST Complaints Through WhatsApp
The general public can now make complaints related to the Sales and Services Tax through WhatsApp at 019-2794317. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that action would be taken within 24 hours of receiving the message.
He said that the ministry has received some 642 complaints through WhatsApp since the SST was introduced. Most of the complaints were related to the prices in restaurants. Overall, the minister said that that the SST resulted in a price drop of between 0.2 and 12.9 percent.
The number of taxable goods is substantially lower under the SST. Covering only 5,000 items, or 38 percent of the available market. This is in contrast with 60 percent under the now-repealed GST.
Some businesses in Malaysia are still sorting out how SST affects consumers, with prepaid top up cards being the most recent issue. The government had to step in and clarify that prepaid cards are exempt from the SST; allowing consumers to claim the full amount of credit that they paid for.
