KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — The government has lost more than RM100 million in revenue to fraudulent goods and services tax (GST) claims, said Customs director-general Datuk Seri T. Subromaniam.

According to a report in Berita Harian, Subromaniam said the estimate is based on companies prosecuted for such offences and others that have had their accounts frozen over the same violations.

"This is a serious offence; if they cheat on their GST claims, their accounts will be frozen,” he reportedly said.

Subromaniam is offering such companies until the end of the year to re-submit their claims accurately, before a "large-scale operation” is launched in January to take action against offenders.

The Customs chief acknowledged, however, that some erroneous claims may be the result of confusion about existing regulations or errors by account preparers.

"That is why we do not want to rush and we are giving them a chance until end of the year,” he said.

The GST was introduced in Malaysia in 2015.