SST expansion date pushed back, says Finance Ministry

When tabling Budget 2025 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that basic food items would remain exempt from the SST.

AGENCY
29 Apr 2025 03:30pm
Finance Ministry. Photo: Finance Ministry official website
Finance Ministry. Photo: Finance Ministry official website

PETALING JAYA: The expansion of the Sales and Service Tax (SST), initially slated for May this year as announced in Budget 2025, will be implemented at a later date, says a Finance Ministry spokesman.

“The ministry has completed its nationwide engagements with multiple industries to finalise the scope of the expansion and the applicable tax rates.

“The guidelines and scope are now being refined to ensure a smooth implementation,” the spokesman told The Star.

When tabling Budget 2025 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that basic food items would remain exempt from the SST.

However, the expanded tax regime would include premium products like salmon and avocados.

Budget 2025 also disclosed the expansion of the service tax from six per cent to eight per cent, covering new taxable services, including business-to-business commercial transactions.

The sales tax, currently imposed at five per cent or 10 per cent depending on the goods, was to be broadened, with essential items continuing to enjoy a zero per cent rate.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan had said the expansion of the SST scope announced in Budget 2025 is expected to generate an extra RM5 billion in revenue. - THE STAR

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