By SOO EWE JIN For a long time, the Inland Revenue Board was seen as quick to collect payments but slow to refund any excess. However, its CEO Puan Hasmah Abdullah has changed that by getting tax-payers to e-mail her their problems and attending to them immediately. (more…)

The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) will settle all refunds to taxpayers by December this year, including those outstanding from previous years.

IRB Chief executive office Hasmah Abdullah said a special task force was set up early this year in every state to concentrate solely on getting the refunds out. (more…)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) aims to refund taxpayers, especially for backlogged cases by the end of this year, said its chief executive officer Hasmah Abdullah.

Despite the heavy task ahead, Hasmah said the IRB was determined to give out all refunds as soon as possible with priority given to senior citizens.

“My mission is that there will be no more backlogged refunds that will be carried forward to next year including refunds for 2006.

“We are aware that there are backlogged refunds that are still due from previous years and we are working round the clock to ensure that it is reimbursed quickly,” she said during a press conference here Monday.

She said 70% of refunds, a majority of which was for e-Filing, had already been processed for the 2006 tax year while 53% of refunds from backlogged cases (2005 and before) had already been reimbursed.

Hasmah said IRB aimed to give out e-Filing refunds for the 2006 assessment year by the end of this month while refunds for those who filed their returns by paper and backlogged cases would be given out by the end of this year.

A special task force, she said, had been set up in every state to ensure refunds were processed quickly and in a smooth manner. Hasmah urged those who had yet to receive their backlogged refunds to contact her personally by e-mail at hasmah@hasil.org.my.

Kuala Lumpur: Taxpayers can now complain directly to Inland Revenue Board chief executive officer Hasmah Abdullah via her e-mail if they have any problems on refunds.

“Thy can e-mail me directly by providing details of their references and we will study the cases and reply to them,” she said.

The email address is:  hasmah@hasil.org.my.

“Taxpayers can also give suggestions on how IRB can serve them better,” Hasmah added.

She said that so far she had not received any complaints since her e-mail was announced on Monday.

“I don’t think they are having any problems.” she said.

“We are giving top priority to settling outstanding cases of refunds,” she added.

The IRB released the e-mail following a directive from the Chief Secretary to the Government to improve the delivery system to the public.

On the soliciting of sponsorships, Hasmah said the IRB has followed the Government’s directive by informing its staff not to solicit advertisements or sponsorships form the private sector.

Kuala Lumpur: The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) will impose the penalty on tax payers for delayed submission of their tax returns, LHDN Chief Executive Officer Hasmah Abdullah said. (more…)

KUALA LUMPUR: Response to the e-Filing system this year has been overwhelming as some 600,000 taxpayers submitted their forms online compared to 100,000 last year. (more…)

By M. KRISHNAMOORTHY and YONG AI WEN

KUALA LUMPUR: Almost half a million taxpayers have filed their returns through the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) online filing system so far.

Some 450,000 people had e-Filed their returns by yesterday afternoon, IRB public relations officer Najlah Ishak said.

She said there were two ways to overcome any income tax returns filing problems.

Taxpayers can go online at http://e.hasil.org.my, and if they have problems logging in they can visit the nearest IRB office which will be open from 8am to 10pm today and tomorrow. The deadline for filing returns is tomorrow.

Secondly, those who encounter online congestion can download the form from the website, fill it in and send it to the IRB office.

She said that because many of the taxpayers had resorted to e-filing at the eleventh hour, there was some congestion on the website.

“If you have any problem with your Internet connection, please go the nearest IRB office and our customer service staff will help you.

“The waiting time is not too long, and within 30 minutes you can e-file your returns at our offices,” she said.

For those who are not familiar with e-Filing, there is a demo manual or guide on the website.

“If you do not remember your password, the customer service counter can help you,” Najlah added.

Former IRB officer Stanley Selvakumar said that he had helped more than 50 people file their tax returns online as it was an easy, fast and safe system.

“We are equipped to face the last- minute rush. We have more computers and laptops and customer service officers to help the public,” Najlah said.

PETALING JAYA: There won’t be any extension of the Monday deadline for filing your income tax.

Inland Revenue Board (IRB) offices will be open today and tomorrow until 10pm to serve last-minute taxpayers.

IRB public relations officer Najlah Ishak said taxpayers were encouraged to e-File their returns at the offices and could also seek the assistance of their customer service personnel.

She added that those who had forgotten their e-Filing number could still register for a new one at any IRB office.

Several taxpayers complained that they could not get into the website as they had forgotten their PIN.

Najlah said IRB customer service counters atl their offices would assist anyone seeking help.

With the last-minute rush yesterday, it took some people a long time to get into the system.

Several taxpayers also complained that they had difficulty getting to Digicert and that it kept appearing as an “unknown” file.

Some married taxpayers complained that this year they had to get two separate PIN numbers for themselves, whereas last year one number for both was allowed for a married couple.

“We have not received any directive or information from IRB on separate PIN numbers for husband and wife filing together.

“Neither was any information displayed on the website. This being the second year of e-Filing, we expect the department to be better organised in disseminating information on any changes,” said a taxpayer who had used the e-Filing facility.

Tax consultant Datuk Dr V. Shanmuganathan said a lot of people had complained on the shortcomings of the e-Filing system and had to wait for hours to access the system.

“Some of them are still not familiar with the system and soon there is going to be a congestion as the deadline nears. The IRB should have provided more extensive training to the public who want to e-File their returns,” he said.

Here is some advise for those people that like to leave doing their tax until the last minute, or feel as though it does not really matter what figures they put in. (more…)

KUALA LUMPUR: Having declared your earnings to the taxman, you wear a satisfied smile.

Then comes a notice from the Inland Revenue Board that sends shock waves throughout your body. (more…)