S'pore man says he was stopped at JB checkpoint & had to pay S$18.40 duty on speaker bought 2 years ago

A man was passing through Malaysian customs at Johor Bahru when he was stopped by law enforcement officers.

He was then allegedly made to pay a tax on a speaker that he had bought two years ago.

Sharing his experience on TikTok, user @qmaojunyong addressed his followers, saying that he "really couldn't understand" the incident.

Stopped at JB checkpoint over a speaker

The user, whose real name is Norvin Ong, 36, told Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) that he was headed to Johor Bahru for supper.

He found a portable Martin Roland speaker at his company premises, and after testing it for a while, decided to bring it home and placed it in the boot of his car.

However, when driving through Malaysian customs, he was allegedly stopped by customs officers.

According to his TikTok video, Ong was asked if he had the receipt for the speaker, to which he replied that he most likely did not, as it was purchased in 2024.

The officers began to search the price of the speaker online.

Ong then searched around in the plastic bag containing the speaker and managed to find the receipt.

It stated that the speaker was worth S$185 (RM590).

After converting the amount to Malaysian ringgit, the officers purportedly told Ong that he had to pay a 10 per cent duty on the speaker, amounting to RM59 (S$18.40).

“I heard of similar situations before, but this was the first time I had encountered it, and I didn’t question it at the time,” he told Shin Min. 

Waited till midnight to pay tax

He agreed to pay the tax.

The officers then asked him if he wanted to pay "by cash or by Visa".

He replied that he did not have cash as he typically paid for things in Malaysia with the Touch 'n Go contactless system, and opted to pay by Visa.

Ong told Shin Min that the officers then checked his wallet to ensure that he was telling the truth.

Afterwards, they told him that he could not pay immediately and had to wait until 12am for the credit card system to "restart".

As it was only 10 minutes to midnight, he agreed to wait.

He claimed in the TikTok video that one officer attempted to tell him that the receipt was not an "official receipt", though he could not satisfactorily explain why.

Ong then paid the RM59 (S$18.40) tax and left.

At the end of his video, Ong asked, "That Visa, really have to wait until 12am [to use]?"

Reactions

Many netizens reacted with confusion, with some wondering how a 2-year-old item could be taxable.

One suggested that the item may have been dutiable as it was sealed, though Ong denied it was.

Ong also confirmed in a TikTok comment that he was issued a receipt after he paid.

According to the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, all travellers entering or leaving Malaysia must declare all taxable items, prohibited items, cash, and negotiable monetary instruments (NMI) that they are carrying or placing in their luggage or vehicles.

Malaysia exempts goods worth up to RM500 (S$156.39) for travellers entering by land.