KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) fees for the Chinese independent high schools under United Chinese School Committees' Association (Dong Zong) will be exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Chua Tee Yong, said the Customs Department had decided that generally any education expenses would not be subjected to GST.

The high schools originally were not GST exempted from the examination fees because the institutions were not registered under the Mi‎nistry of Education, he said.   

"Usually based on the exam guidelines, all fees for primary, secondary and private schools should not be subjected to GST," he told reporters here today.

He said the decision would definitely ease the parents' burden from extra charges on examination fees.

Dong Zong, a business organisation, had earlier submitted information pertaining to the exam operations to the relevant department to‎ be looked into.

Meanwhile, Chua said, as of March 1, 40,000 companies had yet to register for GST.

"Perhaps some of them have not exceeded the target sales of RM500,000 on their current financial report as compared to the previous year.

"But to the companies which are reluctant to register, the Customs Department has started to take action against them," he said. — Bernama