THE MALAYSIAN government yesterday announced new incentives to entice its professional citizens working abroad to come home, with its Returning Experts Programme.
Among the perks are a flat income tax rate of 15 per cent for five years under the new transitional income tax incentive, and two tax-free, locally assembled cars.
Some members from the hospitality industry see this move as a good way of helping address the shortage of management-level staff.
However, Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) vice president Ivo R Nekvapil and MAH CEO, Reginald T Pereira, both said that the government should not also neglect local talent who have been serving the country faithfully.
“You have to give them something as well,” Nekvapil said.
Pereira added that ignoring local talent would be counterproductive, as it would create jealousy and friction. He said: “The government should also find out why talent is leaving for overseas, and then find ways of improving local conditions to make it more attractive to work locally.”
He estimated that there were 20,000 vacancies in the hospitality industry across the country, from rank-and-file to middle-management positions.
Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners executive director, Shaharuddin M Saaid, said that it was still premature to tell whether the new incentives would effectively serve its purpose. “In order to attract them back, the total remuneration has to be better than what they are getting abroad,” he said.
