Business Expansion into Malaysia — Yay or Nay?

Comparatively, Malaysia is possibly one of the easiest places for businesses to incorporate. Malaysia’s effort to reform —policy enhancements and procedural improvements — over the past few years have increased efficiencies and reduced the waiting time involved with registration and permit application processes. Registration of a new business takes between 5-10 days and employment permits for expatriates will be processed within 5 working days.

Operationally and financially Malaysia builds a strong case for itself. It boasts one of the lowest start-up costs compared to the other Asia Pacific countries. This is largely driven by its low property rental rates and generally low minimum wage.

Knight Frank currently estimates supply of office space in Kuala Lumpur (KL) city is 58.26 million sq ft, followed by KL fringe with 29.43 million sq ft and Selangor with 23.91 million sq ft. This brings the total to 111.60 million sq ft² with affordable average office rental rate at RM5.55 psf².

In addition to low office rental rates, businesses can operate economically because of Malaysia’s relatively low minimum wage, which sits at RM1,200 (US$286) per month.

In most countries, double taxation usually occurs when any taxpayer of a specific country engages in international business transactions. However, this is not the case for businesses in Malaysia. The country is a part of DTAs (Double Taxation Agreements) involving counties located in every continent of the world. This allows Malaysia to create an attractive tax environment where a greater international flow of investment, trade and financial activities, and technical knowledge are facilitated and exchanged.

These DTAs, outline the treatment of income or profits earned outside of Malaysia by Malaysian businesses and within Malaysia by foreign-owned businesses. On that note, businesses in Malaysia are protected against the possibility of a singular income being subject to two countries’ tax simultaneously. The double taxation agreement also provides taxpayers with certainty about their tax treatment. In the event of an absent DTA, businesses are still eligible for tax relief through the foreign tax credit.

When shortlisting a country for your business expansion plans, qualifying your list of countries based on their economic strength is an excellent place to start. A country’s GDP is the best measure to assess its’ overall economic strength because it is closely connected with the country’s average consumer purchasing power. Malaysia’s GDP is expected to reach US$359 Billion by the end of 2021³ with a healthy growth rate of 3.0% – 4.0%.⁴

Malaysia’s strong GDP is attributed to the government’s effort to remain robust in the agriculture, construction, manufacturing, mining, and services industries. One of the main objectives of its Budget 2022 is to strengthen economic recovery and improve business resiliency as the world move into the Covid-19 epidemic stage. With such a thriving market, Malaysians’ incomes are increasing and depending on your type of business, you can expect a growing number of consumers becoming or already are in the position to purchase low to middle market products and services readily.

Malaysia has been growing economically in tandem with global trends. In line with the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) adoption, it has introduced its own National 4IR Policy – a broad, overarching national policy that drives coherence in transforming the socioeconomic development of the country through ethical use of 4IR technologies.

While there are limited restrictions on foreign ownerships in certain strategic sectors, the Malaysian government encourages inflow of foreign investments. This is apparent in the incremental liberalization of equity conditions by various government agencies and the broad range of attractive incentives to entice new foreign investments and promote local start-ups. These incentives range from generous tax exemptions and allowance to grants.

Depending on your business, you might even be eligible for specific grants and incentives aimed at supporting innovation or projects that contribute strategically to the country’s economy and industries. Having a good knowledge of these incentives and how they may apply to you will allow you to maximise your business potential and put you on the fast track to success. Here are 5 grants that might be helpful as you incorporate in Malaysia.

1. Cradle Investment Programme 300 (CIP300)
2. MaGIC Global Accelerator Programme (MaGICGAP)
3. Technology Acquisition Fund (TAF)
4. Domestic Investment Strategic Fund
5. Women Exporters Development Programme (WEDP)

The Malaysian government also has a dedicated agency – the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (“MIDA”) to help facilitate your new venture into the country.