Fifty-five local chambers of industry and trade organisations today expressed strong objections to the sudden increase in foreign workers levy rate announced by the government without any prior consultation.

These business groups are also dissatisfied with the government's move to make the foreign worker levy as part of government revenue.

"We have on numerous occasions taken the view that the levy is not part of government's revenue and that it should in fact be ploughed back to the respective industry for the purpose of trainning and upgrading of foreign workers," deputy secretary-general of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) Teo Chiang Kok said in Kuala Lumpur today.