PETALING JAYA: Those flying out of the country will have to pay between RM8 and RM150 in departure levies beginning Sept 1, Putrajaya announced today.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the rates depend on the destination and whether they are flying in economy class.

Travellers heading to Asean countries in economy class will have to pay RM8, while a RM50 levy will be imposed on those flying in other than economy class.

The Asean countries are Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

Those flying to non-Asean countries will be charged RM20 if they fly economy class, while those flying other than economy class will need to pay RM150.

“Economy class means any class of flights advertised, sold and provided by the airlines in the categories that use economic terms or the equivalent, or that offers the lowest package compared to other packages,” the federal gazette read.

The Dewan Rakyat passed the controversial Departure Levy Bill 2019 in April.

In Budget 2019, Putrajaya had proposed a departure levy on all air travellers leaving the country from June 1, saying it was to encourage the development of domestic tourism.

Source: FMT News