Inland Revenue Board operates in accordance with the law irrespective of race

INLAND Revenue Board (IRB) chief executive officer Datuk Sabin Samitah says the board conducts its operations, including knocking on tax-payers’ doors for audits, in accordance with the law irrespective of the race or political affiliation of its targets.
He strongly refuted suggestions that the tough action taken lately by IRB to go after tax defaulters was targeted at Chinese businessmen, describing them as baseless allegations, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
Sabin told the daily that irrespective of who they are, tax payers who owe taxes, who default on payments or under-declare their tax liabilities can be hauled up by the board.
Tax-payers who do not abide by the law will find themselves the target of audit or investigation sooner or later, Sabin said, adding that those who are not happy with the audit result can file an appeal.
IRB’s objective is to ensure more people willingly honour their tax obligation, he said.
A source told Sin Chew that in its latest operations to recover unpaid taxes, the taxman is digging up files dating as far back as 10 years ago, unlike before when the board was collecting back-taxes up to six years.
“Everyone is jittery,” said the source, adding that apart from Country Heights Holdings Bhd founder Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, Magnum Berhad and MK Land Holdings Bhd, the taxman is going after a number of entrepreneurs with the “Tan Sri” honorific.