A self-service laundrette in Shah Alam is cordoned off from the public as the movement control order enters phase three on April 15, 2020. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Incurring additional health prevention costs is the main concern shared by businesses complying with new standard operating procedures (SOP) in the post-movement control order (MCO) period, a survey by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) said today.

The “Post-Movement Control Order (MCO)'s Exit Strategy” survey was conducted among 916 business entrepreneurs from various sectors between April 13 and 21, with almost 94 per cent of participants coming from the small and medium enterprise (SME) industry.

According to the survey results, 73.4 per cent of total respondents were in agreement that they would have to sustain additional business expenditure after health prevention regulations are imposed when the MCO is eventually lifted.

Half of the respondents (56.7 per cent) also said they were worried about employees’ dwelling on their own health safety, despite having an SOP on health prevention in place.

ACCCIM also noted almost half of respondents (56.6 per cent) constituting 70 per cent from the manufacturing sector stated that certain workplace and factory layouts were not suited for the social distancing requirement of at least one metre, when responding to questions on possible issues faced when complying with post-MCO health prevention SOPs.

Other issues raised in the survey included strict enforcement without understanding of business’s circumstances (53.4 per cent); difficulty in practising social distancing in workplaces (46.9 per cent); customers disobeying regulations (45.9 per cent); and a possible shortage of masks and sanitisers (44.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of respondents (89.3 per cent) sought a 2 per cent reduction in corporate tax rate from 24 per cent to 22 per cent for corporate entities and from 17 per cent to 15 per cent for SMEs from next year.

Respondents were earlier asked to list the initiatives and measures for the government's consideration in ensuring economic revival and business sustainability.



