KUALA LUMPUR: Overseas manufacturers selling cheap goods directly to Malaysian consumers through e-commerce platforms are putting local businesses at a disadvantage, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar) said foreign manufacturers could undercut Malaysian businesses because they did not face the same operating costs and regulatory requirements as local companies.
These included taxes, minimum wage requirements and statutory contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso), he said.
"Malaysian entrepreneurs are not asking for government handouts. They are not asking for competition to be shut down entirely. They only want fairness so they can compete on a level playing field," he said during the policy-stage debate on the 2027 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat.
