KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's new tourism tax, due to be introduced on Aug 1, has been revised to a flat fee of RM10 (S$3.18) per room per night, said tourism and culture minister Nazri Aziz on Wednesday (July 26).

Datuk Seri Nazri said the tax, which is levied on accommodation in Malaysia on a per room per night basis, will only be imposed on foreign tourists. Malaysians are exempted from paying the levy.

"We will impose a RM10 flat rate from five-star to zero-star hotels for foreign tourists, and Malaysians will be exempted from the tax across all classifications of hotels," he said in Parliament on Wednesday.

In an earlier proposal, the tourism tax was to be levied at staggered rates ranging from RM2 to RM20 per night according to the standard of hotel accommodation, with Malaysian tourists having to pay the tax at hotels of three-star quality and below.

Mr Nazri was responding to a question from Anthony Loke, the member of parliament for Seremban, on plans to standardise the tourism tax rate and whether locals would be exempted from paying it.

Mr Nazri said it was now up to the Prime Minister to decide when the tax would be officially implemented.