Ensure non-defaulters are not affected by travel ban, says Hua Zong

PETALING JAYA: The Customs Department has been urged to implement several measures before imposing an outright ban on businessmen travelling abroad over suspicion of non-payment of goods and services tax (GST).
Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Hua Zong) president Tan Sri Pheng Yin Huah said the action of authorities was unfair as some of them didn't have outstanding GST payments but their accounts were frozen based on suspicion.
Before taking action against companies and business owners, the authorities should issue reminders and warnings, Sin Chew Daily reported.
Pheng said it was right of the authorities to act on business owners who were aware of their non-payments. However, he said measures must be in place to ensure non-defaulters were barred as well.
He was commenting on a case involving an owner of a company being barred due to a misunderstanding.
Chung Nyuk Swee, 66, found out about the travel ban imposed by the Customs Department at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) while preparing to depart for Singapore earlier this month.
Customs director-general Datuk Subromaniam Tholasy had said 7,143 traders were currently blacklisted for failing to pass on the consumption tax collected from consumers to his department, adding that the Immigration Department has barred them from travel at all exit points of the country.
He urged businessmen defaulting on GST payment to check from the Immigration Department website whether they had been blacklisted before traveling abroad.
"If they pay the GST in full, their names will be removed from the blacklist," he said.