12 minutes
KUALA LUMPUR: The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) collected a record RM145.1 billion in direct taxes in 2019, its chief executive officer Datuk Seri Sabin Samitah announced today.
He said the income tax collection last year was the highest ever recorded by the board, and is RM8.08 billion or 5.89% more than its collection in the previous year.
This was aided by the Special Programme for Voluntary Disclosure (PKPS), that was announced in the 2019 Budget and ended September last year, which provides Malaysians who have tax compliance problems a second chance to rectify their tax reporting by offering a low penalty rate.
Sabin said during the PKPS period, a total of 286,428 Malaysians had made voluntary tax declarations with a total tax collection and penalties imposed of RM7.88 billion.
“The programme also managed to attract 11,176 new taxpayers into IRB’s tax network,” he said when opening IRB’s 2020 Media Appreciation Ceremony, here today.
However, the RM145.1 billion collected last year fell almost RM5 billion short of the target of RM150 billion set by the government.
For 2020, Sabin said the Finance Ministry has set a new record target of RM154.7 billion for the board to achieve.
“IRB needs to always be on the frontline to ensure that the tax awareness among the public can be increased so that the country’s revenue remains sustainable, which will subsequently ensure the wellbeing of the people,” he said.
Later in a press conference, Sabin said he would leave it to the government to decide whether to revise the target in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has affected various sectors in the industry.
