Tourists at Jesselton jetty, Kota Kinabalu. Foreign visitors are already taxed too much in Malaysia, says an industry representative and the departure levy will only make them think twice about visiting the country. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, April 16, 2019.
A DEPARTURE levy comes at a wrong time for Malaysia as tourists already pay for airport, hotel and service taxes, said industry players. The levy may be counterproductive to Putrajaya’s plan to promote 2020 as Malaysian Tourism Year, especially when other Asean countries make it cheaper for tourists, they said.
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