What is GST ?

GST shall be levied and charged on the taxable supply of goods and services made in the course or furtherance of business in Malaysia by a taxable person. GST is also charged on the importation of goods and services.

A taxable supply is a supply which is standard rated or zero rated. Exempt and out of scope supplies are not taxable supplies. GST is to be levied and charged on the value of the supply.

GST can only be levied and charged if the business is registered under the GST. A business is not liable to be registered if its annual turnover of taxable supplies does not reach the prescribed threshold. Therefore, such businesses cannot charge and collect GST on the supply of goods and services made to their customers. Nevertheless, businesses can apply to be registered voluntarily.

Almost all countries collect income tax, which is a percentage of what you earn as an individual. Another way the government gets revenue is by collecting taxes from business operations, like the sales tax and duties on items that are bought or sold.

We need to pay tax so that the government can operate. GST is one method of collecting taxes which works better than others.