Compiled by ALLISON LAI, YASMIN ABDUL LATIF and R. ARAVINTHAN
RETURNING a postal ballot to Malaysia can cost overseas voters hundreds of ringgit, with a Malaysian in Germany paying up to €90 (about RM424) for delivery within three days, China Press reported.
Global Bersih president Nirmala Devi Windgaettera said the high cost, coupled with tight election timelines, could discourage overseas Malaysians, mainly students, from exercising their right to vote.
She said overseas voters effectively had only about a week to return their ballots during a 14-day campaign period.
She urged the Election Commission to provide tracking numbers for postal ballots.
Global Bersih also proposed a reimbursement mechanism through the MySPR system, allowing overseas voters to claim postage costs by submitting their receipts.
It also proposed extending the campaign period to between 21 and 25 days to give overseas voters time to receive and return their ballots.
> TikTok Shop sellers will have to bear 6% sales and service tax (SST) on actual shipping fees from Sept 7, according to notifications sent to sellers, Nanyang Siang Pau reported.
This comes as the government studies whether elements of the goods and services tax (GST) mechanism, including input tax credits, could be incorporated into the existing SST system.
The report stated that TikTok Shop had notified sellers that the logistics service provider for its “Ship by TikTok” service would change from Tokgistics Pte Ltd to TikTok Shop (M) Sdn Bhd from Sept 1.
With the change, the tax treatment of the logistics service will be adjusted in line with Malaysian tax rules, with actual shipping fees subject to 6% SST.
TikTok Shop will absorb the tax from Sept 1 to 6 as a transition measure, after which sellers will have to bear the cost.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
