LABUAN: Labuan Chinese Chamber of Commerce Chairman Datuk Wong Kii Yii suggested a two-month special period (effective Dec 15) liberalising Customs rule be offered to visitors to purchase two crates (48 tins) of duty-free beer for consumption outside the island during the coming Christmas and Chinese New Year festive seasons.
“Such a perk will surely enhance the island’s appeal, draw back tourists and make up for the bad year weathered by retail outlets, hotels and F&B,” he said.
Under the present Customs rule imposed last year, only four cans of beer are allowed to be taken out of the island. For cigarettes, tax has been imposed since 2021 during the Perikatan Nasional rule.
Wong said since these curbs were implemented, the local economy had been battered and numerous programmes had failed to produce the desired result.