Dewan Negara passes four bills
16 Aug 2022 08:42am
The bills were Customs (Amendment) Bill 2022, Excise (Amendment) Bill 2022, Free Zones (Amendment) Bill 2022, and Tourism Tax (Amendment) Bill 2022. - Bernama Photo
The bills were Customs (Amendment) Bill 2022, Excise (Amendment) Bill 2022, Free Zones (Amendment) Bill 2022, and Tourism Tax (Amendment) Bill 2022.
Deputy Finance Minister II Yamani Hafez Musa when winding up the debate on the Customs (Amendment) Bill 2022 said the amendment was aimed at improving the nation's taxation legislation in line with the current change in business.
"All matters that we amend are made based on views and feedback from our customers and they are more to facilitate our customers to fulfil their obligations as taxpayers without imposing a penalty as according to the previous Act, they would be penalised.
"I feel its better if we learn from the COVID-19 crisis whereby we had the Movement Control Order...I think it's not fair to penalise them and we need to give the power to the Minister to ensure they be given the flexibility so that they can pay because they are actually good tax payers, not that they don't want to pay on purpose,” he said in the Dewan Negara sitting on Monday.
Yamani Hafez said the Excise (Amendment) Bill 2022 was made to include a new provision to enable certain facilitation be given to taxpayers in the event of a public crisis or health crisis.
Besides that, he said the Free Zones (Amendment)) Bill 2022 was undertaken to insert a new provision to give flexibility to the industry and government to implement obligations that are required to be completed in a specified period during a public or health crisis.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Tax (Amendment) Bill 2022 was made to add a new provision to enable certain facilitation to be given to taxpayers during a public or health crisis.
Before the sitting was adjourned, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the proposal for the Special Select Committee to consider beforehand the appointments of Senators was never practised by any Commonwealth countries with similar Constitution as Malaysia.
In fact, she said, the proposal that the function of the committee is to consider the appointment of Senators was not in line with Article 40 (1) of the Federal Constitution.
"Appointment of Senators under Article 40 (1) of the Federal Constitution is the prerogative power to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"I agree that the appointment of Senators must provide value-add to Parliament and take into account the expertise and qualifications of the individual and I am confident the Prime Minister examines this matter while the government welcomes the proposal to improve the criteria of Senators,” she said.
Earlier, Senator Datuk A. Kesavadas brought the motion proposing the appointment of Senators be considered via the Special Select Committee and half of the senator appointments by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong be distributed to non-bipartisan individuals. - BERNAMA
