Can I claim books for tax in Malaysia?
Yes — books, journals, magazines and similar reading materials are covered by the lifestyle relief.
Reading materials are one of the clearest claims in the lifestyle relief. The only stated exclusion is banned material. Reading shares the limit with a computer or phone, your internet subscription and skills courses — so if you have already claimed a laptop this year, there may be little of the limit left.
The relief this falls under
Lifestyle — up to RM2,500.00 for YA 2025
Official source: LHDN Tax Reliefs page, YA 2025 table, item 9
Work out what it is worth to you
Whether a claim helps depends on the rest of your year — what else you have already claimed against the same limit, and what tax you owe. The calculator works it out from your own figures, free and without an account.
Open the income tax calculatorFiskal is an unofficial guide, not LHDN. Every figure here cites its official source and Year of Assessment. Reliefs change year to year — always check the year attached to any figure. Fiskal prepares your figures; you file on MyTax yourself.