Malaysia Budget 2009 Highlights

29-08-2008: Budget 2009 highlights

1. Tax rebate for chargeable income group up to RM35,000 raised to RM400 from RM350 now while tax rate for RM35,000-RM50,000 reduced by 1pp to 12% and over RM250,000 by 1pp to 27%

2. Interest income received from moneys deposited in all banks fully exempted from 5% tax to increase disposable income.

3. Tax exemption for employees' allowances to include petrol (up to RM6,000pa), parking, meal, childcare (RM2,400pa), telephony and maternity.

4. Road tax on private saloon, non-saloon diesel vehicles to be the same as that of petrol vehicles

5. Home loan agreement of up to RM250,000 to be given 50% stamp duty exemption for Malaysians, limited to one purchase between Aug 30, 2008 and Dec 31, 2010.

6. Import duty and sales tax exemption on imported solar photovoltaic system equipment; sales tax exemption of local solar heating system equipment

7. Franchise holders of hybrid cars be given 100% exemption of import duty and 50% exemption of excise duty on new CBU hybrid cars below 2L.

8. Income tax exemption on fees received by corporate advisers for primary, dual or cross listings to attract foreign listings for 2009-2013.

9. Income tax exemption on fees from non-ringgit sukuk issued in Malaysia and distributed outside; also profits from trading of non-ringgit sukuk for 2009-2011.

10. REIT final withholding tax (wt) on foreign institutional investors to be reduced to 10% from 20%, wt on individuals reduced to 10% from 15% for Jan 1, 09 to Dec 31, 2011.

11. Excise duty on cigarettes to be raised by three sen per stick to 18 sen, duty for 20-stick pack raised by 60 sen.

12. Civil servants to get one-month bonus or at least RM1,000 for 2008, to be paid in two instalments

13. Import duty of between 5% and 25% on fertilisers and pesticides be abolished

14. Import duty of between 15% and 30% on electrical goods such as blenders, rice cookers, microwave owns and electric kettles be reduced to between 5% and 20%

15. Import duty of between 10% and 30% on petrochemical and polymer industrial goods such as rubber mats, tubes made of rubber and plastic bottles be reduced to between 5% and 20%

16. Import duty of 20% on port cranes be reduced to 5%

17. Import duty of between 25% and 60% on textiles such as carpets and glassware be reduced to between 20% and 30%

18. Import duty of between 5% and 20% on food products such as vermicelli, biscuits, mixed fruit juice and sweet corns in air tight containers be fully exempted.

Source: http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_dbca4eb0-cb73c03a-11151520-58ff0fa7

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