KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 :  When the Good and Services Tax (GST) comes into effect next April, consumers should check their payment receipts to ensure that the GST they pay goes to the country’s coffers and not pocketed by unscrupulous traders or businesses.

The GST Director for the Royal Malaysian Customs Department Subromaniam Tholasy said consumers could check on the GST collected from them through the GST number of the businesses or traders printed on the receipt.

“The consumers should cross-check using the GST number through the GST portal or contact the GST Call Centre to verify whether the business or trader has been registered to collect GST.

“In this respect, the consumers play a crucial role in ensuring businesses and traders do not take advantage of GST to shortchange them,” he said to Bernama here recently.

The GST will come into force with a standard rate of six percent replacing the existing Sales and Services Tax that in total could account for up to 16 percent.

He noted that as of June 2014 more than 4,000 business setups have registered with the customs department to obtain the GST licence.

Subromaniam explained that businesses or traders without the GST licence were prohibited from collecting GST.

“If they do not register, we have legal provisions to take them to court.

If they are found guilty they could be fined up to RM30,000 or two years jail or both.

“They could also be compounded up to RM15,000,” he said.

He said those who register late for GST can be fined RM1,500 for every 30 days of the delay with the maximum fine of RM20,000.

“All companies and businesses have to register with the customs before Dec 31, 2014 to facilitate GST implementation,” he said. - BERNAMA