SABAH hotels operators are baffled at receiving their tourism tax registration numbers although they have yet to register. 

According to Sabah Hotel Operators Association president Christopher Chan, the federal Tourism and Culture Ministry had completed the registration for them. 

“To our surprise, letters of the tax registration have already been sent to our members in advance,” he said.  

The registration letters, which stated that the tax will be implemented from September 1, were also confirmed by Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani, who was in Kota Kinabalu last night.

After a row between Sabah and Sarawak ministers with the federal ministry, the tax is now only applicable to foreign tourists who will be charged a flat rate of RM10 per night.

“Our role is only do the collection for the Tourism and Culture Ministry, and all the monies will be managed by the ministry,” Johari said of the role Customs Department which is under the Finance Ministry (MoF). 

Asked whether MoF had considered the joint memorandum issued by Sabah and Sarawak on the tourism tax, Johari said such appeals should not be directed to the MoF but to the federal Tourism and Culture Ministry.

At a recent Sabah state assembly sitting, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said the joint memorandum had been handed to the federal last July.

Among several requests, it asked the the tourism tax be only enforced from March next year to allow hotels to clear existing contracts they had with tour operators.

But Johari said hotels bound with these contracts would be given some exemption as long they had documents to prove it. –  August 12, 2017.