MELAKA, Sept 30 — The imposition of a transaction fee for payments made via DuitNow QR will be discussed in a special meeting of the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) on Tuesday, said Senator Fuziah Salleh.
The Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister said the meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will be attended by representatives of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) as the regulator of the country’s banking sector.
“Some 1.874 million people use the DuitNow QR platform (for cashless transactions). If nearly 1.9 million people use DuitNow, how much money does the bank make? We (the ministry) are afraid users will be affected,” she told reporters after officiating the Melaka Rahmah Sales programme here today.
Also present were state Entrepreneur, Cooperative Development and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Allex Seah Shoo Chin and Melaka Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Norena Jaafar.
Fuziah expressed concern the transaction fee would impede the implementation of the country’s digitalisation programmes as outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan.
She said KPDN had previously implemented the Retail Sector Digitalisation Initiative programme to help small entrepreneurs especially to facilitate digital payment methods for consumers.
“We are worried the transaction fee will have a negative impact on these (micro and small) traders and consumers,” she said.
Fuziah said the public can get supplies of local rice at the Agro Madani Sales programme and subsidised imported rice through the Rahmah Sales programme.
She said information about the locations of the sales can be obtained from the KPDN and Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority websites.
— Bernama
