KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah said today that Putrajaya is planning to implement the departure levy for outbound air travellers in September.
The Kubang Pasu MP says it will most likely be in effect after the Haj pilgrimage season which will be in August, after proposed suggestions on the levy has been tabled to the Cabinet.
“It will probably be after the Haj season, probably September, somewhere around there,” he told reporters when met at the parliament lobby here.
When asked on the suggestion that the departure levy would be segmented based on air class tickets, Amiruddin said Putrajaya has not decided on the matter.
“There are suggestions so we take into account the class of the air tickets.
“Other suggestions, all those will be taken into account and tabled to the Cabinet, which will make a decision on that,” he said.
Last week, it was reported that the departure tax will be gazetted this month for implementation in September.
The government had initially planned to impose the tax from June 1.
The Departure Levy Bill 2019 was tabled and passed in parliament in April.
Amiruddin had then said if the initial structure was implemented, which had proposed the rate of RM20 and RM40 on travellers flying to Asean countries and those beyond respectively, the collection from levy would be between RM900 million and RM1 billion per year.
