BY DR JEYAPALAN KASIPILLLAI COMPLIANCE costs are expenses incurred by taxpayers in meeting the requirements laid on them by law. These are costs over and above the actual payment of tax.

Compliance costs are incurred not only by taxpayers but also by those who are required to collect the tax from them on behalf of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

For example, in Malaysia, employers are required under the Scheduler Tax D (more…)

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.

The Confederation of Malaysian Brewers Bhd (CMBB), concerned over consumers increasingly switching to compounded hard liquor and home brews due to high prices, has called on the government not to impose any further increase in excise duties for such beverages in Budget 2008. (more…)

SINGAPORE: The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), which has ramped up its efficiency with a new IT system, will soon pay interest if it fails to issue tax refunds promptly. (more…)

WHENEVER a Malaysian company branches out to a foreign land, a natural reaction is to cheer it on as another step towards our local businesses becoming globally competitive. However, reality eventually sinks in and we have to acknowledge that such a venture is not without major potential pitfalls. (more…)

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…)