Stoppage order for tax evaders an on-going process

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KUCHING: The enforcement of stoppage order for tax evaders has been done all along at all international exit points including Kuching International Airport (KIA).

At KIA, the state Immigration Department under the directive of Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has been restricting tax defaulters from leaving the country via international routes.

State Immigration director Datu Robert Lian told The Borneo Post yesterday that the department had been enforcing the IRB’s directive for as long as he could remember.

“We have been doing that for a long time already. It is an ongoing process and there is nothing new about it,” he said.

He said the IRB had given the state Immigration Department the blacklist which they had put into the (immigration) system.

“We don’t know who they are. We only know that a passenger is a tax offender when our officers at the airport keys in his name and there is an alert on the name.

“In such a case, the passenger will not be granted permission to leave the state and is advised to contact the IRB,” said Robert.

Those who have been restricted from traveling overseas may apply for a ‘facility letter’ to allow them to travel despite being blacklisted. The letter will be issued by the Immigration Department after it has received a clearance from IRB.

Meanwhile, IRB chief communications officer Masrun Maslim said the drastic stoppage order at international exit points was taken due to failure to retrieve outstanding payment from tax evaders.

“We have found that many tax payers do not commit to the installment schedule which we have issued to them. That is why Section 104 of the Income Tax Act 1967 and Section 22 of Property Gain Tax 1976 have to be enforced,” Masrun said.

He said the stoppage order on a tax defaulter could be lifted when the person concerned had settled the due payment.

“Temporary lifting of overseas traveling prohibition can also be processed when a tax payer settles 50 per cent of the total outstanding tax. Arrangement can later be made for the remainder of the outstanding payment to be settled in installments.”

All tax payers can check whether they have been placed under stoppage order by checking their status on IRB official website www.hasil.gov.my or Immigration Malaysia website at www.imi.gov.my.