KOTA KINABALU: ‘News’ claiming that Sabah will follow the Sarawak government’s step in rejecting the July 1 tourism tax implementation on social media since yesterday is not true.
In confirming this yesterday, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said information circulating on social media following the Sarawak government’s move to withdraw its representative from the Malaysia Tourism Board (MTB) with immediate effect yesterday was based on a statement published in September last year.
“That was my statement in 2016 when (Federal Tourism and Culture Minister) Datuk Nazri Aziz first mooted the proposal to impose tourism tax. The issue will be discussed in the next State Cabinet meeting,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post here yesterday.
“Sabah will discuss all issues related to the tax at the next State Cabinet meeting,” he said.
On June 8, Masidi informed the media that the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is preparing a paper to brief the state cabinet in the next meeting.
“We will issue a statement after the cabinet meeting. It is only proper that they are briefed on the law, the Act itself and the implications. I think there will be a statement thereafter,” he said during his ministry’s breaking of fast event on that day.
“First we need to determine whether we can opt out of it,” Masidi responded to the press regarding the possibility of Sabah opting out of the federal tourism tax.
“We need to study it. It is very unfair for me to give you a statement before the (state) cabinet is fully briefed. So I prefer to brief the state cabinet in the next state cabinet meeting.
The minister said a study on the entire mechanism of the Act and the disbursements thereafter must be made before a statement is issued.
“I always like to think, see things in a positive light. I am sure there are a lot of areas in which we can talk to the Federal Government,” he assured.
Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the latest decision by the Chief Minister’s Office to pull out from MTB was not due to the spat between him and Federal Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.
He said the decision belonged to Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who had his reasons for doing so.