Short-term accomodation like hotels and hostels are about to get more expensive in Malaysia.
The Royal Malaysians Customs Department has just announced a tourist tax on all accomodation.
The charges are as follow:
Non-rated accommodation – RM$2.50 (A$0.80) per room per night;
One, two and three star hotels – RM5 ($1.55) per room per night;
Four star hotels – RM10 ($3.10)
Five star hotels – RM20 ($6.20) per room per night.
This is on top of a 6 per cent GST.
Both foreign tourists and Malaysian nationals staying in accommodation for either leisure, religious, holiday or business purposes are affected by the new ruling.
Any accomodations registered by the Commissioner under the Tourism Industry Act 1992 which includes hotels, hostels, inns, and boarding houses will have to start imposing the tourist tax from August 2017.
Homestays and premises maintained by religious institutions for non-commercial purposes, and premises with fewer than 10 rooms are not affected by the new tax.
From what I gather, this new ruling could affect Airbnb owners as well although it is unclear how the tax are to be collected from Airbnb owners.