The Sarawak state government wants the federal government to defer the enforcement of the Tourism Tax within the state.

"If they do not want to defer it in Semenanjung (Peninsular Malaysia), that is up to them. But at least defer it in Sabah and Sarawak.

"You have to respect the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

"All hotels would have to register for this tax, otherwise they would be penalised. That’s why we want a deferment.

"Let’s negotiate first, don’t do it in a rush," Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said, as reported by the Borneo Post today.

He also said that the state government must have some say in the matter, as they may want part of the tax collected to be returned.

There is no federal allocation for the tourism sector in Sarawak this year, he added.

The Tourism Tax, which will see consumers paying up to RM20 more for a hotel room per night, was originally supposed to come into effect on Aug 1, according to the Royal Malaysian Customs.

However, it retracted the statement a day later and Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz then announced that it will be implemented by July 1.

The Sarawak government is not going against the federal government, Abdul Karim said, but there should be "give and take" between them.

"It seems like they are in a rush to implement it, which is not very good. You are going against the tide. That’s how I see it," he said.

Separately, Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) vice-president Junz Wong said the rush to implement the Tourism Tax shows that the federal government is clueless about the difficulties faced by the tourism industry in Sabah.

"It’s clear that the federal government just wants to get the money without taking into account more sensible ideas on how the tax should be collected," Wong, who is also Likas assemblyperson, said in a statement today.

The federal government has "failed to keep the state safe", he said, which has affected the local tourism industry.

"Tourism is our rice bowl, yet they are pouring sand into it from Putrajaya."

"Is this the caring government Musa Aman (Sabah Chief Minister) says is best for Sabah?" he asked.

Wong also explained that not everyone who stayed in hotels is a tourist, saying that many poor people from the interiors stay in hotels when they had business in the cities.

As such, it is stupid to impose the Tourism Tax on locals, he said.

"How do Sabah BN MPs who helped pass this bill sleep at night knowing they have added to the people's burden?"

"Warisan is eager to hear the Sabah government's stand on this," he said.