EVEN before the zero-rating of the goods and services tax (GST), which comes into effect today, nasi kandar operators had already revised their food prices.

In Penang, Nasi Kandar Nasmir had revised the price of every item on its menu in the days before June 1, said owner Kadhar Shah Abdul Razak.

“Our prices were inclusive of GST. So, we had to redo the whole menu and deduct 6% from the price of every item.

“We stopped charging the old price the moment the clock struck midnight on May 31,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Kadhar said apart from putting up signs to announce the reduction in prices, he has even prepared a list with the new and old pricing for the authorities to check and compare should they inspect his chain of restaurants.

“We just follow the government’s policy. The government decided to take away GST to lessen the people’s burden.

“So, as a local business, we follow and support the move.”

The famed Nasi Kandar Beratur in George Town is also slashing its prices, said manager Ajmeer Ali Liyaqat Ali.

“Certain items on our menu had GST, like chicken, fish roe, beef and mutton, for example. They will be a few sen cheaper.

“There are some items we did not charge GST for, like white rice. We always maintain rice at the old price.”

In Kuala Lumpur, certain mamak (Indian Muslim) eateries are following suit.

Mohamed Husen, who owns Husen Cafe in Jalan Thambipillay, Brickfields, said he has not increased prices in years. In fact, he is planning to reduce a few sen from certain food items today.

“Food prices at my restaurant remained the same before and after the implementation of GST. I never charged my customers extra. I had to put up notices in my restaurant to inform them that the meals here were inclusive of GST, which I absorbed.

“Now, with the zero-rated GST, I won’t be able to slash prices for the entire menu, but maybe I can reduce the prices of some items by a few sen.

“I have also ‘zerorised’ GST on my POS (point of sale) system,” said Husen, who also owns Nasi Lemak Royale near KL Sentral and Kota Warisan in Sepang.

Some restaurant owners are adopting a wait-and-see approach before changing their prices.

The owner of a Punjabi restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, who wanted to be known only as Kevin, said the prices of food will not change until the sales and services tax (SST) is imposed in September, as suppliers might raise their prices.

“To be safe, I’m not going to change the prices in my menu now. As of June 1, I won’t charge GST, but come September, SST will be imposed.

“So, I will have to wait and see if my suppliers change their prices. If there is a vast difference in the cost, then I will consider making changes to the prices.”

But several customers The Malaysian Insight spoke to said they will not really notice if prices have been reduced unless they are restaurant regulars. Khairul Haniff was one of them.

“We won’t be able to notice the difference in pricing unless we are regular customers,” said the 31-year-old.

“It will be hard to keep track if one goes to a number of restaurants. At the end of the day, we just have to pay what the bill shows.”

Another customer in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, who wanted to be known only as Darren, said most restaurant operators are not going to state that their prices have been brought down.

“This is going to be an advantage for restaurant owners. We can only complain if we notice that the prices have increased.

“But then again, how many customers will actually do this?” said the 19-year-old. – June 1, 2018.