MATTA welcomes service tax policy

Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) welcomes the Service Tax Policy issued by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD) early this month.

Its president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said the decision came as huge relief for tourism industry players as MATTA had been pursuing up to the highest level to clear the confusion and impact of double taxation.

He said the decision was certainly timely as service tax exemption applied to inbound tour packages and tourism industry in gearing towards Visit Malaysia 2020.

"We are deeply grateful to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng for teking interest in this matter and to RMCD officials for looking into our proposals.

"Making inbound tour package prices more competitive in the marketplace has a considerable impact on long-stay rural tourism and ecotourism packages. We applaud the government's efforts in facilitating the growth of tourism in our country", he said in a statement yesterday.