New levy rates for foreign workers revised

PUTRAJAYA: The new levy rates for foreign workers have been revised effective from yesterday for Peninsular Malaysia only.
Home Ministry (KDN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim said the new rate for the First Category covering the manufacturing, construction and services sectors is RM1,850 whereas for the Second Category (plantations and agriculture) the rate is RM640.
He said the new rates entailed and increase of RM600 for the sectors in the First Category and RM230 and RM50 for the plantations and agriculture sectors respectively.
"The difference in rate increase is reflective of the income or incentives offered to workers in the particular sectors," he said in a statement here today.
Prior to this, it was announced that the new rates for the two categories were to be RM2,500 and RM1,500 respectively effective Feb 1, but implementation was postponed after complaints from industry stakeholders particulary from the labour intensive ones. — Bernama