Exempt SST on mandarins, dates during festive seasons, says PJ MP

Summary

• PKR MP Lee Chean Chung urges the government to expand the SST exemption on imported fruits to include mandarin oranges and dates due to their cultural and religious significance.

• Lee says it will have minimal impact on national revenue but significant social and economic benefits.

PKR’s Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has urged the government to expand the sales and service tax (SST) exemption on imported fruits to include mandarin oranges and dates, in light of their cultural and religious significance to Malaysians.

This came after Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim this morning announced that imported apples and oranges would be exempted from SST.

While welcoming the move, Lee (above) said more could be done to ease the burden on consumers, particularly during major festive seasons.

"These two fruits are deeply symbolic and inseparable from Chinese New Year and Ramadan/Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

"Imposing a five percent SST on these fruits not only adds pressure to consumers but also contradicts the initial principle of the tax, which was supposed to affect only specific groups," he said in a statement.

Lee warned that failing to grant exemptions would also hurt small traders and importers who depend on seasonal demand to sustain their operations.

He proposed that the Finance Ministry implement a special SST exemption on mandarin oranges during Chinese New Year, and dates during Ramadan and Aidilfitri.

"This would reflect a more targeted fiscal approach that is sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of Malaysians," he said.

Minimal impact

Lee stressed that such exemptions would have minimal impact on national revenue due to their seasonal and limited scope but could yield significant social and economic benefits.

He also offered to engage in discussions with the Finance Ministry to refine the implementation mechanism for the proposed exemption, in a bid to reduce the financial burden on the public.

This morning, Anwar announced that apples and oranges will be exempted from the sales and services tax.

This came after backlash against the premier when he claimed that the sales tax expansion on imported fruits would only impact rich people eating avocados.

At a press conference, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Finance Ministry is expected to provide a more detailed release regarding the exemptions for imported fruits, either today or tomorrow.

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