Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Affairs Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says that the receipts are a tangible proof that the ministry can help erring merchants.

Bernama pic.

GEORGE TOWN: A minister has welcomed a suggestion from a consumer group to the public to make purchases to detect unfair price increases after the sales and service tax (SST) was introduced next month.

Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Affairs Saifuddin Nasution Ismail praised the idea of ​​the Penang Consumers' Association (CAP), which called on Malaysians to adopt a welcoming culture to curb business malpractice.

He said that all ethical traders had to issue receipts to buyers who, in turn, had to keep them as proof in the event of disputes that could arise after the purchase.

"By saving your receipts, we can take action against traders who raise the prices unfairly.The receipts are tangible proof of the price paid and can be used to book erroneous traders.

"The ministry supports every initiative to find goods that are too expensive and we thank CAP for presenting this idea," he told FMT.

CAP Chairman SM Mohamed Idris called on consumers to keep their purchases before the SST starts on 1 September to detect profiteering.

He also suggested that the ministry set up beat bases on popular markets so that buyers could file complaints immediately after discovering an unreasonable price hike.

Idris said that the beat-bases traders would also recall that action could be taken against them if they unfairly increased prices.

The SST is scheduled to be implemented on September 1st. The bill was adopted by the Dewan Rakyat on 7 August and awaits approval in the senate. The rate is fixed at 10% for sales and 6% for services.

The SST applies to only 38% of the basket of goods and services for consumer prices, compared with the tax on goods and services that covers 60%.