Restaurant owners worry about disgruntled patrons

GEORGE TOWN: For some restaurant owners, they are getting butterflies in the stomach as April 1 beckons.

The thought of having to collect GST from their customers seems a daunting task.

“Several years ago, there was a case of a customer who beat up a restaurant cashier with a helmet because he was upset with the service tax,” Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed said.

“We foresee this may happen after GST is implemented. We are very worried indeed.”

Noorul Hassan said most restaurants allowed their customers to have their meals before payment.

“What happens if the diner insists on only paying what he consumed and refused to pay the GST?

“We have no authority to apprehend them.

“How can we make sure that the customer pays the required sum?” he asked.

Noorul Hassan said the association would have a “wait-and-see” stance on the new tax system.

Presma has more than 3,200 members in the country, with about 300 in Penang.