theSun Property March 2015

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ON FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2015
WITH less than two
weeks before the
implementation of
the 6%Goods and
Services Tax (GST) that will
replace the existing Sales and
Service Tax, theSun shares
valuable insights fromC. H.
Williams Talhar &Wong
(WTW), along with information
for the developer from the Royal
Malaysian Customs Department
(RMCD).
PROPERTY DEVELOPER
HIGHLIGHTS
RMCD describes GST as a multi-
stage tax on domestic
consumption that is charged on
all taxable supplies of goods and
services inMalaysia, except
those specifically exempted. It
also states that in relation to real
estate, GSTwill be charged for
everything attached to it – on or
below the surface – including the
building, the trees and
vegetation, plus other structures
and objects in, over and under it.
With that, GSTwill have an
impact on both the developing
firm and construction
companies.
Land that is exempted from
GST includes that intended for
agriculture, residential means
(including residential houses
such as link house, semi-
detached house, detached house,
apartments or serviced
apartments and condominiums),
plus general purpose plots used
as burial grounds/cemeteries,
playgrounds and religious
purposes.
However, the supply of land
and building that will be
subjected to GST includes those
for commercial, administrative
and industrial purposes such as
shop lots, offices, retail
businesses, small-office-home-
offices (SoHo), small-office-
virtual-offices (SoVo), small-
office-flexible-offices (SoFo),
factories, hotels, motels, inns,
hostels and warehouses.
Any lease, tenancy, easement,
licence to occupy land or transfer
of undivided share in land is
considered a supply of services.
Any transfer of the whole right of
ownership in land, land under an
agreement for the sale of such
land, land under an agreement
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which expressly stipulates that the
ownership of such land will pass at
some time in the future, any
interest under a Deed of
Assignment or any strata title is
categorised as supply of goods.
Both are taxable under the GST.
Taxable and exempt supplies for
a developer come under the
umbrella of supplies under the
main development of which the
developer charges his purchasers.
A developer’s taxable supply is the
sale of commercial buildings. His
exempt supply would be the sale of
residential housing. However, there
are some administrative fees and
charges that are subject to and
exempt fromGST. See RMCD
website for details. An alternative
would be for developers to attend
the RMCD programme as per
details shown here.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
With all said, WTW interestingly
puts a whole new perspective to the
GST. It refers to it as a consumption
tax applicable tomonies spent, but
that which “may encourage savings
and discourage ostentatious
purchasing”. It explains that “GST
will widen the tax base, to ensure
that even the person who had
avoided paying income tax will end
up paying towards taxes when he
spends”. While some call it the
“fairer tax”, others have various
perceptions about this new charge
levied by the government that will
affect every industry.
According to the report from
WTW, this multi-stage taxation
will set-out, starting from the
supplier who provides raw
materials to their customers (the
contractors) and charge them the
6%. These contractors who provide
construction services to the
developer will also charge their
client (the developer), the 6% as
services are taxable under GST.
With rawmaterials and
construction services being
standard-rated supplies, both
supplier and contractor can claim
rebates for 6%GST that is paid to
the government for their purchases.
The same works for commercial
properties. However, for residential
property sales, developers are NOT
required tomake GST payments.
They are also NOT entitled to
claim rebates. Consequently, all
GST paid up to the residential
development stage will be absorbed
as part of development costs.
Unfortunately for the house
purchaser, this cost can be passed
on to them IF the developer decides
tomaintain his gross margins.
Alternatively, GST costs can be
partially absorbed if the developer
decides to accept a lower gross
margin andmaintain a more
competitive price. The essence
about this
flexibility is
that
negotiations can be discussed and
established, leading tomore
buoyant property prices. In the
long run, it looks as though the
market on the whole will be more
volatile and somuchmore
interesting.
RISING COSTS
While each developer will have to
decide whether to bear the GST
costs or pass it on to the purchaser,
here are some insights that
give rise to the increased
costs. Upon GST
implementation, all types of
construction services will be
subjected to 6%GST.
Moreover, additional costs
will be incurred for
construction, especially when
non-taxable materials
become taxable under GST or
taxable materials are charged a
higher tax rate. According to
WTW, significant impact is
expected on structural elements
andM&E (mechanical and
electrical) works.
Generally, total construction
costs of high rise residentials is
expected to increase by 3.97% once
GST is implemented. Of the five
main elements in construction
(structural, architectural, finishes,
services andM&E works),
structural elements andM&E
works will experience the highest
hike of about 6% compared to the
rest, of about 0.95%. Here are some
examples of the five elements:
structural - reinforced concrete
framework, floor slabs and
staircase, etc; architectural – roof,
windows, doors, hand railing, etc;
finishes – all finishes on ceiling,
wall, flooring, staircase, external
wall, etc; services – sanitary wares
and fittings, etc; andM&E works –
air-conditioning, fire protection,
electrical and telephone services,
lifts, etc.
According toWTW’s report,
construction and developer’s costs
are likely to increase, but by less
than 5% and the implementation
of GST is not likely to have such
a great impact. This is due to the
fact that crude oil price has
dropped since end 2014, resulting
in a reduction in the price of
several rawmaterials. The
conclusion from the report:
House prices may not move
upwards even when GST
kicks in.
In all, the market is expected
to slow down, if it hasn’t already,
due to uncertainty. With this, we
bring tomind the words of
property guruMilan Doshi: “The
best time to buy a property is
usually when others fear to do so.
That is the time when one can get
good deals which normally don’t
come by during better times. As
long as you know the locations
are good to invest in, you can
secure good financing and can
negotiate good deals. A smart
investor should possess the
know-how and the know - two
main ingredients to be a good
property buyer.” For those who
have the know-how but not the
know on GST and its influence
on the market, it is best to
accoutre oneself now.
Follow our column next week
to learn of the impact GSTwill
have on the secondary house
market.
on property
development industry
> Property developer highlights and valuablemarket research information
Goods and Services Tax
“Hand-holding Programme”
for developers and
contractors organised by
Royal Malaysian Customs
Department inMuar, Johor.
Conditions:
1) Company has already registered and received GST ID.
2) Only TWO representatives fromeach company.
3) Applicationmust be done online via
forms/d/1cujkBFdRMdGkGCtp74P981jVFrdH9egH0he1wkpdqfQ/
viewform?c=0&w=1
Date : March 25, 2015 (WEDNESDAY)
Time : 9am to 4pm
Location : Hotel Pelangi Muar, No: 79, Jalan Sisi, 84000Muar, Johor.
ROLE IN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PRODUCT TYPE OF SUPPLY OUTPUT GST CLAIMABLE
Rawmaterial supplier Rawmaterial Standard rated 6% Yes
Contractor Construction service Standard rated 6% Yes
Developer Residential Exempted n.a. No
Commercial Standard rated 6% Yes
Source: WTWResearch
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