The digital tax is imposed to ensure fair treatment to local service providers by creating a level playing field for local and foreign providers of taxable services to businesses and consumers in Malaysia, the Finance Ministry said.
Among others, group relief facilities are being extended to the importation of eligible services by local service providers from foreign service providers which belong to the same group of companies. In this case, the local service providers will not be taxed on the services imported. As for local service providers who have paid service tax to FSPs on digital services , the MoF said they can make refund claims from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and offset the amount based on the actual service tax paid.
Similarly, online services such as e-newspaper and reading materials including educational, technical, scientific, historical or cultural journals or periodicals are not categorised as taxable and are not subject to service tax.