We'll look for you, Nazri warns unregistered accommodation providers

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz (pix) has warned that the ministry will hunt down accommodation providers who have not registered with the ministry and make them do so.
The Tourism and Culture Minister said this was to allow the ministry to collect the soon-to-be implemented Tourism Tax from accommodations with more than five rooms, and that no qualified hotels or homestays would be exempted from paying.
"We are going to charge every one of them. We will find them, and we will make them register. It's compulsory.
"Even if a homestay operator has five houses with less than five rooms each, if we aggregate them, there are more than five rooms. They too have to register," he told reporters, here, today when asked on accommodation providers like Airbnb not registering.
Nazri had, at the parliament on Wednesday, announced that Malaysians are exempted from paying the tax, but that foreign tourists would be charged a flat rate of RM10 per night per room in all accommodations except for premises with less than five rooms.
Although no implementation date was mentioned, the minister said it would be done as soon as possible, with Aug 1 still the ministry's target.
However, he noted that it would ultimately depend on the preparedness of the Customs Department, which has been tasked to collect the tax.
He said the customs is in the midst of formulating the tax collection framework, and that it would be implemented once it is approved by the Attorney-General's Chambers.
Nazri also brushed aside hotel associations' suggestions to charge the tourism tax at the country's exit points, saying it would be unfair to those who entered the country but did not stay at a hotel.
"If you are going to charge all foreigners at airports, they do not necessarily stay at hotels. They may be residents here, or an expat," he said.
On the associations' claims that there was not much engagement between them and the ministry on the tax, Nazri said: "We have had engagements last year. How many do you need to have? 20 times? 50 times?"
"You have it once, and we collect all the feedback and acting on it. So what else do you want to see me about? Go and see the customs," he said.
He added that the federal government would not stop states with their own tourism and heritage charges, like Malacca and Penang, from continuing to collect them.
"I'm a federal minister, I'm only concerned with federal taxes. It is our (federal) right to tax. If you want to tax at the state level, go ahead, I won't stop," he said.