KUALA LUMPUR: Only jewellery which are imported through cargo shipments have to be declared to the Customs Department, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah said today.
He said those who personally purchase jewellery from overseas do not have to declare the items to the Customs Department.
“Generally, customs duty or excise duty is not imposed on jewellery,“ the Kubang Pasu MP said in his winding-up speech on the Excise (Amendment) Bill 2019.
“Therefore, when the jewellery is brought into Malaysia, there is no need for them to declare it in the Customs form, if it is brought personally by the passenger, especially if it’s in their baggage.
“So that is not needed, unless it is imported through cargo. Declaration has to be done for that one.”
Amiruddin was responding to several questions raised by Bukit Bendera MP Wong Hon Wai, who asked to know if a “Datin Seri” had declared the jewellery brought in by a Lebanese jeweller into the country.
Wong had asked the Finance Ministry for a response to the matter.
“To the case Bukit Bendera referred, I think it was already answered by the Finance Minister (Lim Guan Eng) last year that the woman in question did not pay taxes for the jewellery items that were sent to her.
“It was brought in by an agent. Agent declared and brought it in, similarly, the agent declared the items when taking them out of the country.
“So there was no purchasing after it was brought in by the agent,“ Amiruddin added.
