Small traders must register for GST: Ikhlas
Kuala Lumpur: Reports that claimed small traders are
facing difficulty in registering their Goods and
Services Tax (GST) with the excuse that they were not
good with the computer and the time given to register
was too short, are not logical.
The Small and
Medium Entrepreneurs Alliance (Ikhlas) and the Malay
Merchants and Entrepreneurs Association want small and
medium-scale entrepreneurs (PKS) to use all existing
resources and not give excuses to avoid registering for
the GST.
Such excuses should not be given after
the process of registration is allowed to be done online
at the special website, gst.customs.gov.my, or sending
the forms to the Malaysian Royal Customs Department (JKDM),
with the deadline for compulsory registration given
until Dec 31 last year.
Ikhlas President, Mohamad
Ridzuan Abdullah said PKS traders who must register the
GST were those whose businesses had an annual sales
return of more than RM500,000, making them successful
entities. |
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"It is impossible that companies with a turnover of more
than RM500,000 do not have staff who are expert in the
latest technology. If before this, they can manage their
accounts and expenditure, they should not give the
excuse that they do not know how to use computer
software for the GST," he said Tuesday.
He was commenting on a report in an English newspaper
that PKS traders were facing difficulty using the
computer to register the GST. Mohamad Ridzuan said the
JKDM had also sent officers all over the country to give
information and help traders register.
As such,
the excuse that some traders were not computer literate
and faced difficulties registering the GST could not be
accepted especially in today's era of technology
development.
"We understand that some traders
may not know how to use the computer but they too have
to abide by current changes. Try to find a way and get
the assistance of the Customs who have been assigned to
help traders who do not understand the GST," he said.
Mohamad Ridzuan also said so far, Ikhlas had not
received any complaints from PKS traders facing
difficulty registering online. President of the Malay
Traders and Industrialists Association of Malaysia (Perdasama),
Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir said the registration deadline
of Dec 31 was sufficient.
He said with the many announcements on the media as well
as JKDM's efforts throughout the country to raise
awareness as well as to talk about the implementation of
the GST should have helped traders understand it.
"Each day we see and hear GST registration
advertisements in the media. The Customs have also gone
round the country holding briefing sessions for the
traders. Maybe because they are afraid of getting fined
that they are giving this excuse," he said. – Bernama
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan had earlier
said based on information in the Inland Revenue
Department's database, there are still 50,000 companies
which have not yet registered with the GST.
Registration of the GST which began in June 2014 ended
at the end of last year and it will be implemented from
April 1.
The GST will be implemented at a fixed
rate of six per cent to replace the existing sales and
services tax. – Bernama
Source:
Daily Express
, dated
28/01/2015 |