Please be aware of irresponsible parties claiming to be consultants or agents of SME Corp for the processing of SME Corp's grant schemes. Please be advised that SME Corp does not appoint any consultants or agents for the processing of our grant schemes, and the claim pertaining to the above matter is a fraud. Should you have any problems or enquiries, kindly contact our Info Line, 1-300-88-1801. Thank you.

Management of SME Corp. Malaysia

GOODS and services tax (GST) is the tax that everyone is talking about but is probably the most misunderstood tax in this current economic climate. The deferment of GST caused ripples in the current climate. Where does GST go from here? Has the tax been shelved or will GST be implemented in the next two years? Will the consumer ever get to see “inclusive of GST” on a price tag in Malaysia? Is this another setback for GST?

Statements that begin as questions and are replied with more questions – are the taxpayers ready for a replacement consumption tax? Is the rakyat aware of the GST mechanism and its implications? Is it a fairer and more transparent tax system compared with the existing sales and service tax regime?

PUTRAJAYA: The Government is conducting a series of awareness programmes to ensure the smooth implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), said Finance Ministry tax review panel chairman Datuk Kamariah Hussain.

“We have conducted about 2,000 awareness programmes covering more than 100,000 participants.

“Our programmes are organised by the Ministry of Finance and other government agencies as well as SME Corp and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, among others,” she said.

She was speaking to StarBiz on the sidelines of a tax forum organised by KPMG Malaysia and International Tax and Investment Centre yesterday.