Tourism Bill 2017 tabled for first reading

The proposed Tourism Bill 2017 was tabled for the first reading by Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

The bill aimed to provide the imposition and collection of tourism tax on visitors staying in tourist accomomodations in the country.

The bill, to be known as Tourism Tax, was designed to be imposed and levied on tourists staying at any accommodation made available by an operator at the rate fixed at a later stage by the minister.

Accommodation operators were required to issue invoices, receipts or other documents in Bahasa Malaysia or in English to the tourists staying at the accommodation provided.

The operators would also be required to state the amount of the tourism tax rate and that it was payable separately from the other accommodation charges.

Under the proposed bill, the Director-General of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department had the power to oversee matters relating to tourism tax and it was subject to the direction and control of the minister.

All customs officers appointed under section 3 of the Customs Act 1967, holding the rank of superintendent and above, were proposed to be given authorisation power under this Act.

Meanwhile, the Royal Customs Department could also request to the Immigration Department to prevent tourists from

leaving the country if they owed tourism tax, penalties or surcharges to the government.

-Bernama.