GST in M'sia: What's taxable and what's not?

PM Najib, saya lihat harga barang di sini berpatutan dan barangan keperluan asas berkadar sifar seperti yg ditetapkan Kerajaan.

From April 1, Malaysia will introduce a Goods and Services Tax (GST) of six per cent.

GST replaces the Sales and Services Tax (SST) of up to 10 per cent. With GST, prices of goods and services could remain the same, go up or even decrease - in the case of goods and services that are currently subjected to the higher SST.

ere's a quick guide on what's GST-exempted and what's not:

GST-exempted goods and services

Livestock, fresh and frozen meat/fish:

Livestock including cattle, buffalo, pig, sheep and goat; live chickens and ducks;

Fresh and frozen meat

All kinds of live, fresh, chilled and frozen fish (except for fish for ornamental use)

Other kinds of water creatures:

These include crustaceans (lobsters, crabs, prawns, shrimps), molluscs (oysters, mussels, cuttlefish, snails) and others such as sea cucumbers and jellyfish

Eggs (chicken and duck eggs, fresh or salted)

Fresh vegetables and fruits

Spices and herbs

Rice, flour, noodles, bread

Cooking oil and condiments including sugar, salt, cooking oil, shrimp sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce.

Coffee, tea and cocoa powder

Baby formula (aged 0 to 36 months)

Items in the National Essential Medicines List

This covers 4,215 medicine brands for the treatment of major chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorder, diabetes, hypertension, infertility.

All types of reading materials and newspapers

Public transportation

Treated water for domestic use

Electrical supply for the first 300 units (kwh) of domestic use

RON95 petrol and diesel

Postal services

Medical treatment at hospitals and clinics

GST-taxable goods and services that will cost more as they were previously untaxed

Processed food items (e.g pre-marinated meat, fish and vegetables, canned food, fishballs, meat balls, bottled contiments, chocolates, biscuits)

Kitchenware

Clothing and foot wear

Beauty and health products

Toys and games

Electronic gadgets including cameras, computers, laptops and mobile phones

Pre-paid phone cards

Concert and movie tickets

Banking fees (e.g. loan processing, fund transfers, standing instruction services, cheque books)

Consultation with GST-registered independent doctors

This refers to the goods and services that were previously subjected to the higher 10 per cent SST. These range from electrical appliances (e.g. television sets, refrigerators, air-conditioners, home theatre system, irons, hair dryers, electric fans), cars, consumer items (eg. soft drinks, imported fruits) to items like diapers, Dettol, toothpaste and furniture. -Asiaone