KUALA LUMPUR: After three years of pushing for lower licence fees in Kuala Lumpur, gymnasium operators will now enjoy an 80 per cent reduction in fees in a bid to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Gymnasium operators will now pay Kuala Lumpur City Hall RM10 per square metre for their licence, instead of RM50 per square metre previously.
In lauding the move, Gymnasium Entrepreneurs Association Malaysia president K. Krishnakumar said he now hopes operators will also be allowed to rent spaces within government buildings in the city.
“This reduction in licence fees is most welcome,” said Krishnakumar.
“But I must highlight that the licence fee contributes less than 20 per cent of our overall operating cost. Rental, among other costs, is the main contributor.
“As the government keeps emphasising the need for Malaysians to be healthy, let’s start with civil servants. By allowing operators to rent spaces within government buildings at a discounted price, business owners can offer special rates to civil servants and also open it to the public.”
Krishnakumar, who runs Enrich Fitness in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, says education and awareness are equally important to get people to sweat it out.
“The government can encourage, we as gymnasium operators can encourage, but when the doctor says you are supposed to exercise, only then do people take it seriously. We need to reduce the number of people getting sick and flooding our hospitals. Creating a healthy society is one way of doing so.”
Krishnakumar spoke to Twentytwo13 after attending a press conference by the Federal Territories Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall at Menara DBKL 1 this morning.
At the press conference, Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh said the new licensing fee only applied to “pure gymnasium” operators.
“The complaints I’ve received from some gym operators before were about how fast food restaurants could pay less in licence fees compared to them. It doesn’t make sense. We’re sending the wrong message,” Yeoh said.
“Just like the Ramadan bazaar, when we push it down to RM400, we expect traders not to increase the prices of goods because they can no longer say the cost of doing business in Kuala Lumpur is very expensive. The same now applies to gym operators.”
Yeoh suggested that gymnasium operators offer discounts to those who exercise between 6am-8am and 5pm-7pm to help reduce traffic congestion. She also suggested that gymnasium operators provide special rates to senior citizens.
Discussions regarding the reduction of fees surfaced when gymnasium operators were badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A meeting between the Youth and Sports and the Local Government Development Ministries in Putrajaya was held on July 28, 2023. The meeting was attended by Yeoh, who was then the Youth and Sports minister, Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming and Krishnakumar, among others.
A total of 197 gymnasium operators with licences were recorded in the city in 2025. Krishnakumar said he would now encourage other gymnasium operators to apply for licences from City Hall.
He also hopes the move in Kuala Lumpur will snowball to Selangor.
“While there are 197 gymnasiums with licences in Kuala Lumpur, there are many others operating without licences because they could not afford the fees,” he said.
“Now, they should be able to do so. It is important for them to get their licence so that they can apply for government loans and obtain debit and credit card facilities from financial institutions.
“We also hope Selangor will lower the licensing fee. In the past, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor had the highest licensing fees for gymnasium operators in the country. Selangor’s rates differ in each district, with some requiring deposits that can burden operators,” he added.
