TAXPAYERS who are served notices of tax arrears must pay up within 30 days of the notification lest they would be blacklisted and barred from leaving the country.
According to a report in Sin Chew Daily today, Inland Revenue Board (IRB) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Sabin Samitah said so far, 25,874 tax defaulters had been barred from leaving the country with tax arrears totally more than RM1.35 billion.
On the crackdown IRB launched in November last year, Sabin said it was not aimed in particular at the “rich” ones such as traders, hawkers or SMEs but tax evaders in general.
He said the board has information of tax arrears as well as those who do not file their tax returns and will audit and investigate them under the Income Tax Act 1967.
“The board will serve them with notices and provide them the (relevant) forms to fill, or seek a meeting with them.
“We want those who receive the notification to response within 30 days, failing which they will be blacklisted.”
Sabin had said some time ago that people with “extraordinary” wealth overseas or received income through transactions carried out via offshore banks must respond within a month of receiving the IRB forms.
Those who failed to declare their additional income face a penalty equivalent to 80% of the undeclared tax.
On Nov 3 last year, IRB introduced the Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme to encourage tax evaders or those who under-declared their taxes to make amends.
Under the programme, which will end on June 30, participants only face a penalty of 10% of the unpaid taxes.
