Prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his Budget 2025 speech, revealed that the government plans to gradually expand the tax base by introducing a 2% tax on dividend income exceeding RM100,000 for individual shareholders. This new tax is slated to come into effect starting in the 2025 assessment year.
Anwar, who also serves as the finance minister, said the initiative aims to diversify income tax sources, ensuring that revenue is not solely reliant on contributions from wage earners, but also includes earnings from company owners and individuals with substantial shareholdings. Considerations will be given to exclude dividend income from government savings schemes such as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) share trusts, and dividend income from abroad, he added.
During the tabling, Anwar also revealed that the government will not impose taxes on essential goods as it seeks to streamline the Sales and Services Tax (SST) next year. While the SST will not affect basic items, it will be expanded to cover premium non-essential goods such as avocado and salmon.
Additionally, the SST will include commercial financial services that charge fees on business-to-business transactions. Anwar confirmed that industry engagement will be conducted to ensure the smooth and fair implementation of this tax expansion.
