JOHOR BAHARU, April 1 (Bernama) — The prices of some items in Johor remained the same despite the Goods and Services Tax (GST) coming into force in the country Wednesday.[br]
The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry’s director for Johor, Nor Nekman Jaimon said checks by his officers found most traders were adhering to the rules and were not hiking prices.
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“For example, we did 80 inspections at City Square here and found most of the traders were observing what is required following the implementation of GST.
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“Some of the shops were maintaining the old prices including goldsmiths even though jewellery products are subject to GST,” he told reporters after conducting a GST compliance operation at the mall with Johor Customs GST Division superintendent Har Khairul Rosdin Baharuddin.
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He added that his office had mobilised 204 officers to monitor the post-GST situation in the state and that consumers could call 07-2200308 this week to file complaints.
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In KANGAR, the Royal Customs Department and the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism office in Perlis jointly launched an operation to monitor the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the state.
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Speaking to reporters after launching the ‘customer friendly’ operation at the Perlis Customs office here, Perlis Customs superintendent Abd Rashid Embong said the two-week operation was not to take action against GST related offences, but rather to give advice and help businesses facing difficulties in applying the system.
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Abd Rashid said a total of 1,450 traders in the state had registered for GST since June last year, including those for whom it was mandatory based on gross sales exceeding RM500,000 per annum.
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“From April 15, inspections and enforcement for offences relating to GST will be carried out under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, Trade Descriptions Act 2011, the Consumer Protection Act 1999 and the Goods and Services Tax Act 2014,” he said.
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Meanwhile, KPDNKK Perlis Anti-profiteering Unit chief Ahmad Sabri Mohd who was also present, said that those who suspected being cheated by traders through price hikes and not putting proper labels could contact the department’s operations room at 04-9795000 from 8am to 10pm daily.
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In KOTA BAHARU, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (PPDNKK) Kelantan director Datuk Ab Ghani Harun said three show-cause notices were issued to traders for not complying to GST requirements after a joint operation with the Kelantan Customs Department.
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He said two of the business premises were in Machang and the other here.
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“They were charging a higher rate than the stipulated six per cent. One of them was a 24-hour convenience store which was charging in excess for magazines and other items,” he said after a monitoring operation at a supermarket in Pengkalan Chepa.
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Also present was Kelantan Customs deputy director Kamarudin Jaafar.
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In ALOR SETAR, Kedah PPDNKK director Mohamad Fitri Hassan said inspections were done at 19 premises in Alor Setar and Sungai Petani.
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He said two show-cause notices were issued for non-compliance while one trader was fined for not having proper price tags.
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In KUANTAN, one 24-hour convenience store at a shopping mall was found selling pre-paid reload cards for RM10 at RM10.50 despite the fact that pre-paid reload cards are zero-rated.
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Pahang PPDNKK deputy director Alwi Abdul Hamid, when approached by reporters during the monitoring operation at the mall, said the store had been issued a show-cause notice.
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In KUALA TERENGGANU, Terengganu PPDNKK director Mohd Nor Musa said two violations were detected at a supermarket in the city.
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He said one involved different price tags for the same make of an instant mee product with the difference amounting to RM1 and the other on the price of a microwave oven where GST was imposed but with the previous sales tax still intact.
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He added that the outlet was issued show-cause notices for the offences.
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In GEORGE TOWN, Penang KPDNKK Enforcement Division director Mohd Nawardi Saad said restaurant operators should clearly state GST charges at their outlets to avoid confusion by the public.
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This would also prevent any unnecessary disputes with patrons, he told reporters after conducting a GST compliance operation with Customs personnel at Plaza Gurney here.
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In IPOH, KPDNKK deputy director-general (Enforcement) Datuk Iskandar Halim Sulaiman said traders would be given 15 days from today to put up the proper price tags following the implementation of GST.
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“The price tags must show inclusion of GST. GST cannot be charged separately,” he said after a joint operation with Customs personnel on GST compliance at Ipoh Parade here.
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— BERNAMA
Source : http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/newsindex.php?id=1122161
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