PETALING JAYA, April 3 — Consumers should be more proactive in protecting themselves against profiteering traders, consumer groups said.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Datuk Paul Selvaraj said consumers needed to take steps to protect themselves, such as by keeping receipts.

“Without receipts, it is hard to lodge complaints or bring them up to the authorities. If the consumer received no receipt after a transaction, there should already be a big question mark,” he said.

Malay Mail reported yesterday that more  than 1,000 calls were made to the authorities on the first day of the implementation of GST, including on profiteering, paying extra for non-taxable items and not obtaining receipts despite being taxed.

Selvaraj said as GST was still new, consumers and even businesses were struggling to get used to it, but he did not deny that some traders had started to take advantage of the tax.

“It will take some time for everybody to settle in. For example, small and medium enterprises may not have the capacity to attend Customs meeting and hence, not be able to understand GST fully,” he said.

“The authorities should continue communicating with consumers and businesses and look at the trend to spot businesses involved in profiteering.”

Asli Centre of Public Policy Studies chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said consumers should be more vigilant of discrepancies in taxing and overcharging by traders.

“If there are discrepancies, bring it up to the manager of the business for clarification. If the consumer is still not satisfied, lodge a complaint with the Customs Department,” he said.

He said the Customs should add more hotline channels and set up a “GST Flying Squad” to investigate  complaints.

Asked to comment on businesses claiming they suffered glitches when they wrongly charged GST on zero-rated items, he said: “These ‘glitches’ could be accidental or deliberate. However, there is no excuse and those guilty should be pulled in and action should be taken against unscrupulous traders.”