IRB Sabah collects RM27 million via voluntary disclosure
KOTA KINABALU: The Inland Revenue Board collected around RM27.03 million from 163 taxpayers in Sabah since the Special Voluntary Disclosure Program started on November 3 last year.
Disclosing this yesterday, Inland Revenue Board (IRD) Sabah director Datuk Hajam Lajah Alam said the amount involved additional taxes and penalties, and out of the 163 taxpayers, 29 were from the companies category and 140 taxpayers were from other categories.
Hajam added those who came forth included unregistered taxpayers, registered taxpayers who had not declared their income, taxpayers who had declared their income that was less than the actual amount earned or taxpayers who had not paid the stamp duty charges for any year of assessment.
“We asked the taxpayers out there to come to the Inland Revenue Board and make a voluntary disclosure. Whatever report that we receive will be accepted pure heartedly without any further questions,” said Hajam.
“Up to today, there are more or less 156 people in Sabah that have come forth with a total collection of more or less RM10.1 million since November (2018).
“We asked taxpayers to come to the office to make a declaration voluntarily and happily without any prejudice,” he reiterated after paying a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal at the Sabah State Administrative Centre (PPNS) here yesterday.
Hajam, former LHDNM Intelligence & Profiling Department Director, officially held his current portfolio on New Year’s Day.
In the 2019 Budget speech on Nov 2, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng announced the program to allow taxpayers to voluntarily declare any unreported income, including funds maintained offshore, for Malaysian tax purposes.
Under this program, income reported from Nov 3, 2018 to June 30 this year will pay reduced penalty rates.
A 10% penalty rate will be incurred for disclosures made from Nov 3, 2018 until March 31, and 15% for disclosures made from April 1, until June 30, this year.
The penalty rates will increase to the range of 80% to a maximum of 300% of the tax payable, from July 1, this year.