Malaysian health minister urges companies to improve air ventilation amid pandemic, promises tax deduction
KUALA LUMPUR: Companies in Malaysia which carry out renovations to improve their workplace ventilation systems are eligible for a tax deduction of up to RM300,000, according to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
On his official Twitter account, the minister called for employers to improve the ventilation in their office if they need to host physical meetings.
“You can qualify for a tax deduction for upgrading your office ventilation system,” the minister tweeted, adding that this tax benefit has been extended until the end of 2022.
Mr Khairy’s tweet also highlighted the specific business assistance initiative under the 2022 budget. Businesses can claim tax deductions up to the aforementioned sum on the costs of renovation to comply with COVID-19 standard operating procedures, including improved ventilation.
The measure, which has been extended until Dec 31 this year, was first introduced in the 2021 budget to cover for such renovations taking place between Mar 1, 2020, and Dec 31, 2021.
In an earlier Feb 7 press conference on the rising Omicron wave in Malaysia, Mr Khairy had also stated that businesses could seek incentives from the Finance Ministry to improve the ventilation in their premises.
The minister had also called on companies to allow their employees to work from home or to implement a rotational system for employees to be present in the office in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
On Friday, Malaysia reported 20,939 new cases, bringing its cumulative total of COVID-19 cases to 2,996,361.
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