KUALA LUMPUR: Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) today announced the cost to perform haj for the muassasah pilgrims this year, with different rates for those in the B40 group and non-B40 group involving an increase of between RM1,000 and RM3,000 per person.

TH Group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin said the revision of the cost was unavoidable as the actual cost of haj for muassasah pilgrims has increased to RM25,540 per person this year.

As such, he said the cost to perform haj for muassasah pilgrims from the B40 group is now set at RM10,980 per person, while for those from the non-B40 group, RM12,980 per person.

"The cost of haj for muassasah pilgrims has remained unchanged at RM9,980 per person since 2009, that is for the past 13 years, despite the fact that the cost has been on the rise every year to almost 103 per cent.

"However, with the implementation of the targetted Haj Financial Assistance, the B40 muassasah pilgrims will only have to bear an increase of RM1,000 per person, while those in the non-B40 category, an increase of RM3,000 or an average of 2.3 per cent annually."

He said this at the press conference which was also attended by TH executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman and general manager (Haj Management) Nurrinanuwar Shamsuddin.


Amrin said the revision of the cost could not be avoided due to the increase in other costs, as well as inflation and taxes, especially the Value-Added Tax (VAT), visa fee and COVID-19 insurance charges imposed by the Saudi Arabian government.

"The Saudi Arabian VAT has been increased from five per cent to 15 per cent and this is the main factor to the increase of haj cost as the pilgrims receive various types of services in the Holy Land. The tax alone has caused the haj cost for muassasah pilgrims to increase by over RM2,500 per person.

"TH will continue providing haj subsidies and absorb the increase in haj cost for Malaysian pilgrims especially those in the B40 category whose livelihood must have been affected by the impact of COVID-19," he said.

Through the subsidies, he said TH will bear the cost of RM14,560 per muassasah pilgrim in the B40 group, and RM12,560 per pilgrim in the non-B40 group.

"The B40 categorisation among the pilgrims will be made based on the government's database," he said.


Meanwhile, Amrin said TH was in the midst of making final preparations to bring Malaysian pilgrims to the Holy Land after not being able to do so for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the haj offer letters will be sent to the pilgrims starting next Monday.

"For pilgrim selection, TH will give priority to those who were supposed to perform the haj in 2020, followed by those selected last year.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad announced that 14,306 Malaysian pilgrims were allowed to perform haj this year, a mere 45 per cent of the normal quota of Malaysian pilgrims given by the Saudi Arabian government.

The official pre-COVID-19 quota of haj pilgrims for Malaysia was 31,600.

Idris said among other requirements for the pilgrims to be allowed to perform the haj are to be no older than 65, have no chronic illnesses, must have a COVID-19 vaccination certificate and have a negative result of the COVID-19 swab test within 72 hours before departure.

-- BERNAMA