Malaysia Really Did Have Estate Duty Before
Many young Malaysians may not be aware that Malaysia previously imposed estate duty, also known as inheritance tax.
Estate duty was introduced under the Estate Duty Enactment 1941. Estates with a net value exceeding a prescribed threshold were subject to tax. This system remained in force until it was officially abolished on 1 November 1991.
Malaysia currently has no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax. When assets are passed on to family members, the recipients do not have to pay tax simply for receiving the inheritance.
However, the absence of estate duty does not mean that the transfer of assets is entirely cost-free. Probate or Letters of Administration, legal fees and stamp duty may still apply. In most proper estate-to-beneficiary transfers under a will or intestacy, the stamp duty is only a nominal RM10, but legal and administrative costs remain.
马来西亚以前真的有「遗产税」
许多年轻人可能不知道，马来西亚过去曾征收遗产税（Estate Duty）。
1941 年，马来西亚根据 Estate Duty Enactment 1941 引入遗产税。当遗产的净值超过规定数额时，便需要缴纳遗产税。这项制度一直实施至 1991 年 11 月 1 日，才正式被废除。
目前，马来西亚没有遗产税、继承税或赠与税。资产留给家人时，家人接收遗产本身并不需要缴税。
不过，没有遗产税并不代表资产转移完全没有成本。遗嘱认证（Probate）或遗产管理书（Letters of Administration）、律师费及印花税仍可能适用。在大多数依据遗嘱或无遗嘱继承程序进行的适当遗产受益人转移中，印花税通常只需缴付象征性的 RM10，但律师费及行政费用仍然存在。