KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 25): Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), in a statement today, confirmed that the Comptroller of State Sales Tax of Sarawak and the Government of the State of Sarawak have filed an action relating to the non-payment of the Sarawak Sales Tax on petroleum products.
Last Thursday, Bernama reported the filing of the suit at the High Court registry in Kuching.
The report quoted Sarawak Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department (Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali as saying that the legal action was taken to recover the state sales tax owed by the national oil and gas company to the state.
"As have been mentioned several times before this, Petronas [has] not paid the State Sales Tax for petroleum products under the State Sales Tax Ordinance 1998 which is due to the state.
"As a result, the state government is left with no choice but to commence legal action for the recovery of the unpaid taxes due," Sharifah Hasidah was quoted as saying.
The 5% state sales tax was imposed on Jan 1, 2019, and Petronas is said to be the only oil and gas company operating in the state which has not paid the tax.