KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will defer the implementation of the State Sales Tax (SST) until the economic situation improves.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan said the government would also conduct further studies on the state of the economy in Sabah, especially the current health of the business environment in the region.
“The government is mindful of the business community’s concern, particularly those of the seafood industry, over the implementation of the SST.
“The government understands their concerns, and it would be unjust to put additional strain on private businesses at this time.
“Therefore, as the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, my ministry has discussed the situation with the Chief Minister who is also the Finance Minister, and it was decided that, while we cannot repeal the tax, we agreed to postpone its implementation to a later date,” he said in a statement here today.
Kitingan said he hoped the deferment of the sales tax on the seafood export industry would provide breathing room for industry players.
He went on to say that the government will always support the business community because it is the backbone of Sabah’s economy and the largest job providers in the region.-pr/BNN
