KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Authorities will step up efforts to monitor the prices of basic necessities, including food at eateries, following the Sales and Service Tax (SST) revision, Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Fuziah Salleh said.

According to The Star, Fuziah said the ministry is ready to take action against food operators who increase prices unnecessarily due to the SST adjustments.

"We have already launched Ops Kesan 4.0,” she said.

"This is to protect consumers by detecting price movements and any attempts to exploit the SST adjustments. We will continue to monitor them,” she said.

She added that the ministry is ready to accept and respond to complaints from members of the public.

"We hope all parties can play their roles and we will look into all the complaints,” she told The Star.

The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has begun nationwide enforcement operations under Ops Kesan 4.0 to curb unjustified price increases and profiteering linked to the SST revision, which came into effect on July 1.

Minister Datuk Armizan Ali said on July 8 that enforcement efforts will follow four key principles, beginning with a detailed review of goods and services covered under the updated Sales and Service Tax (SST) framework and ensuring that businesses exceeding the SST threshold are registered with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.

Additionally, authorities will examine pricing margins to determine whether they indicate profiteering, in violation of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

"Businesses are advised to consider all four aspects before making any price or service fee adjustments,” Armizan said.

He also encouraged businesses to engage with the Customs Department and the Finance Ministry for clarity on policy and compliance, and to seek advice from the ministry’s Enforcement Division regarding signs of profiteering.