Income crunch set to fuel illicit trade

Roeder says that enforcement alone is not enough to tackle illicit trade.

LOSS of jobs, salary cuts and reduced employment opportunities are causing financial difficulties for many consumers throughout Malaysia and this situation is set to fuel illicit trade exponentially, said global consumer advocacy group Consumer Choice Center (CCC) in a statement today.

The comment from CCC came following the recent Department of Statistics Malaysia’s (DOSM) Salaries and Wages Report 2020 that found median monthly salaries and wages recording a double-digit decline of 15.6% to RM2,062. In addition, DOSM also reported that Malaysia’s unemployed graduates rose by 22.5% in 2020.