Haj cost: Tabung Haji announces 2 rates for pilgrims

 

Lembaga Tabung Haji today announced the cost to perform haj for muassasah pilgrims this year, with different rates for those in the B40 group and non-B40 group involving an increase of between RM1,000 and RM3,000 per person.

Tabung Haji group managing director and chief executive officer Amrin Awaluddin (above) said the cost revision was unavoidable as the actual cost of haj has increased to RM25,540 per person this year.

As such, he said the cost to perform haj for muassasah pilgrims from the B40 (bottom 40 percent of income earners) group is now RM10,980 per person, while non-B40s must pay RM12,980 per person.

“The cost of haj for muassasah pilgrims has remained unchanged at RM9,980 per person since 2009, that is for the past 13 years, despite the fact that the cost has been on the rise every year to almost 103 percent.

“However, with the implementation of the targetted Haj Financial Assistance, the B40 muassasah pilgrims will only have to bear an increase of RM1,000 per person, while those in the non-B40 category, an increase of RM3,000 or an average of 2.3 percent annually.”

He was speaking at a press conference which was also attended by Tabung Haji executive director Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman and general manager (Haj Management) Nurrinanuwar Shamsuddin.

Amrin said the cost revision could not be avoided due to the increase in other costs, as well as inflation and taxes, especially the Value-Added Tax (VAT), visa fee, and Covid-19 insurance charges imposed by the Saudi Arabian government.

“The Saudi Arabian VAT has been increased from five percent to 15 percent and this is the main factor to the increase of haj cost as the pilgrims receive various types of services in the Holy Land.

“The tax alone has caused the haj cost for muassasah pilgrims to increase by over RM2,500 per person.

”Tabung Haji will continue providing haj subsidies and absorb the increase in haj cost for Malaysian pilgrims especially those in the B40 category whose livelihood must have been affected by the impact of Covid-19,” he said.

Through the subsidies, he said Tabung Haji will bear the cost of RM14,560 per muassasah pilgrim in the B40 group, and RM12,560 per pilgrim in the non-B40 group.

“The B40 categorisation among the pilgrims will be made based on the government’s database,” he said.

Final preparations

Meanwhile, Amrin said Tabung Haji is making final preparations to bring Malaysian pilgrims to the Holy Land after not being able to do so for two years due to the pandemic.

He said haj offer letters will be sent to pilgrims starting next Monday (April 25).

“For pilgrim selection, Tabung Haji will give priority to those who were supposed to perform the haj in 2020, followed by those selected last year.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad announced 14,306 Malaysian pilgrims were allowed to perform haj this year, a mere 45 percent of the normal quota of Malaysian pilgrims given by the Saudi Arabian government.

The official pre-Covid-19 quota of haj pilgrims for Malaysia was 31,600.

Idris said among other requirements for the pilgrims to be allowed to perform the haj are to be no older than 65, have no chronic illnesses, must have a Covid-19 vaccination certificate and have a negative result of the Covid-19 swab test within 72 hours before departure.

- Bernama