THE review on the commission fees charged by e-commerce platforms Shopee, Lazada and TikTok will be ready within the next six months, says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister said this was part of the overall review on the laws governing e-commerce as the fast growing sector has raked in billions while providing business opportunities to local entrepreneurs.
In 2021, the sector contributed 13% to the nation’s gross domestic product amounting to RM207bil, he told the House.
“The sector also recorded a very encouraging increase in terms of income value amounting to RM1.09bil in 2022, a 6% rise compared to RM1.03bil in 2021,” Armizan said in a written reply to Young Syefura Othman (PH- Bentong).
Besides increasing the rakyat’s income, he said the sector also encouraged online entrepreneurship among Malaysians.
However, the sector’s rapid growth had sparked several issues requiring a review of existing laws on consumer protection and commerce, he noted.
This included the Consumer Protection Act, Trade Description Act and Consumer Protection Regulations (Electronic Trade Transactions), he added.
“The existing laws on ecommerce are outdated and must be reviewed to bring them in line with advancement in technology and current digital programmes,” Armizan added.
This would ensure sustainable growth of the sector while also protecting consumers, he said.
The review, which began in April, is expected to be completed by March next year.
The comprehensive review would include the issue of commission fees imposed by e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok, Armizan explained.
However, he said the review would not touch on e-hailing or p-hailing platforms such as Grab or FoodPanda as they did not come under the ministry’s purview.
