Malaysian Tourism Tax and new MRT line opens

Anything and everything about gay life anywhere in the world, especially Asia, other than Thailand.
Post Reply
aussie
Posts: 296
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 1:31 pm
Has thanked: 166 times
Been thanked: 81 times

Malaysian Tourism Tax and new MRT line opens

Post by aussie »

I am in Malaysia now just as the new 10 Ringit per night hotel tourism tax is implemented. This is in addition to the 6% goods and services tax.

The original plan was tiered charges depending on hotel quality and ranged up to 20 Ringit per night for 5 star hotels and everyone paid including Malaysians. Of course there were complaints and now the new tax is 10 Ringit per night for any hotel and applies only to foreign tourists.

I just hope the money goes where it is intended to develop tourism but similar to Thailand i would not bet on it. To me the new tax is a deterrent to tourism for those on a tight budget. I am not complaining and have had quite a few keen visitors to my room for free to more than make up for the cost of the tax :)

One big improvement to public transport in KL is the opening of the new MRT line so Bukit Bintang no longer looks like a massive construction site. The train service is cheap and excellent from my experience so far. There are plenty of escalators and lifts, very easy to get to Sentral now instead of using taxis or the slow monorail
fountainhall

Re: Malaysian Tourism Tax and new MRT line opens

Post by fountainhall »

Is US$2.35 per night really going to affect many overseas tourists other than perhaps the lower end of the backpacker market? Hotel Tourism taxes are not that unusual and several Asian countries now have them. South Korea even rebated individual tourists the 10% tax in an effort to boost tourism, but the refund process was complicated and had to be collected at airports like VAT refunds.

Thank goodness no Asian country is burdened with the taxes levied when you stay at a hotel in New York City. When you check out, you'll find the following added to your bill, most as a percentage - New York State Tax, New York City Sales Tax, New York State Hotel Nightly Fee, New York City Hotel Room Occupancy Tax. All that adds around 20% + to an already overpriced room!
Post Reply