Dividend Taxation Advisory for Foreign Shareholder Structures
(Effective from Year of Assessment 2025 – Malaysia)

Overview – Foreign Shareholders in Malaysian Companies
Foreign shareholders commonly hold shares in Malaysian companies either directly as individuals or indirectly through foreign holding companies as part of a group structure.

With effect from the Year of Assessment (YA) 2025, Malaysia has introduced a 2% tax on dividend income received by individuals where total dividends exceed RM100,000 per year.

It is important to note that this new tax measure primarily impacts individual shareholders, and the shareholder’s legal status (individual vs. corporate entity) plays a critical role in determining tax exposure.

外国股东架构的股息税务咨询说明
（适用于马来西亚 2025 课税年度起）

一、概览——马来西亚公司的外国股东
外国投资者在马来西亚公司中持股，通常有以下两种方式：
以个人名义直接持股，或通过外国控股公司作为集团架构的一部分间接持股。

自 2025 课税年度（Year of Assessment, YA 2025） 起，马来西亚正式引入一项新的股息税措施：
当个人在一个日历年度内所取得的股息总额超过 RM100,000 时，超出部分将被征收 2% 的股息税。
需要特别注意的是：

• 该新增的 2% 股息税主要针对个人股东；
• 股东的法律身份（个人或公司实体），在决定是否产生税务负担方面，起着关键性作用；
• 因此，外国投资者在选择持股结构时，应高度重视个人持股与公司持股在税务上的差异。