Social media applications displayed on a smartphone. AFP File Photo
KUCHING: The Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) has denied a report on the management of national revenue claimed to be from Group LHDN that went viral on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
In a press statement, IRBM clarified that a similar article entitled ‘Analisa Bajet 2017’ (Budget Analysis 2017) also linked IRBM as its source of writing.
“According to our records, the article has been spread seasonally since 2015 and several denials have been issued by IRBM earlier as it intentionally associates the name of the IRBM,” the statement said.
Official complaints have been submitted to the MCMC Consumer Complaints Bureau, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and investigations have been carried out in stages by the relevant authorities.
Further review has also been made on the content of the article and it was believed to be based on an article published by a political party.
The link to the original source of the article can be found here.
“Hence, IRBM once again denies that the said article was issued by IRBM or by any IRBM officers.”
IRBM condemned the irresponsible action which they viewed was solely aimed at causing anxiety among the people with inaccurate economic analysis.
IRBM thus advised the public to refer directly to its official portal, the Finance Ministry of Malaysia’s portal at www.treasury.gov.my and relevant government agencies to obtain an accurate analysis and data on the economy.