Malaysia practically duty-free

PETALING JAYA: Almost all consumer goods in Malaysia, save for a few selected items, are already duty-free, says Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee.

“With the waiving of import duties in 2011, the country is practically duty-free on all consumer items except for selected ones like cigarettes, liquor, and glassware,” he said. “We are now using this fact to promote Malaysia internationally as a duty-free shopping destination so that shopping can contribute to a growing proportion of tourist expenditure,” he said.

Dr Wee said he was giving the rationale for the Government's waiving of import duties at the start of 2011, and was not making a fresh proposal for the Government to make Malaysia a duty-free country. Under the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP), tourist receipt is expected to increase three-fold from RM54.6bil in 2010 to RM168bil by 2020.

-thestar online.

www.tourism.gov.my