Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 3.11.2016.
Inland Revenue Board (IRB) CEO Tan Sri Dr Mohd Shukor Mahfar was quoted in the Malaysian Reserve on 28.1.2016 as saying that for the second consecutive year, tax revenue is expected to drop by 5% to an estimated RM115 billion from last year’s reduced RM121.23 billion collection. Muhd Shukor said the 5% drop is consistent with the drastic fall in crude oil prices from around US$110 per barrel in 2014 to the current price of US$45 per barrel, as 30% of IRB’s collection comes from the oil and gas (O&G) sector.
This tax collection shortfall coupled with the twin shocks of corruption (RM52 bilion 1MDB and the RM4.2 billion donation scandals) and the rapid depreciation of the ringgit has caused the BN Federal government to implement the GST. GST has caused hardship to the people with price rises and poor business, despite the promises by then BN Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan that GST will cause prices of goods to go down.
It is not just cooking oil and petrol prices going up now, but also highway toll hikes next year. DAP is concerned that the expected 5% drop of 2016 tax revenue highlights a declining economy worsened by GST and arbitrary or high-handed tax audits hounding businesses to make up the tax revenue shortfall.
What is worrying is that the IRB in attempting to make up for the tax collection shortfall is carrying out high-handed and arbitrary tax audits on the field that victimizes the businesses. Whilst there is nothing wrong for such enthusiasm bordering on downright hostile aggression by IRB, against businessmen for allegedly evading paying taxes, why is there no similar treatment on businessmen such as Jho Low and his father Tan Sri Larry Low or other of his family members?
The lack of enthusiasm by IRB in demanding payments from Jho Low is unfair and will only lend suspicions of double-standards in tax enforcement. Further if Jho Low tax payments are not enough, IRB can always see extra tax payments from those who receive generous donations overseas, especially from those having RM4.2 billion in their personal bank account. If IRB refuses to investigate JHO Low and his family or those having RM4.2 billion in their personal bank accounts, then IRB has no right to conduct any tax audits or investigations on ordinary Malaysian businessmen.
Clearly BN has no idea how to help ordinary Malaysians lessen their economic hardship but has also failed in economic management in running the country for the benefit of cronies instead for Malaysians. For instance Works Minister Fadillah Yusof said that according to the original agreement for the North-South Expressway in 1988, the highway concession was supposed to end in 2018 but it was then extended to 31 December 2038.
Fadillah also said the North-South expressway was built in 1989 and was completed in 1994 at a cost of RM5.9 billion, which was fully borne by PLUS, the concessionaire. Costs incurred in land acquisition were covered by the Federal government.
Fadillah said until the end of 2015, the overall toll collected for the North-South Expressway alone was RM36.39 billion. The total amount of compensation paid out by the Federal government to PLUS following the deferment in toll hikes until 2015 was RM917.1 million. In other words, this RM 36.39 billion collected from Malaysians, is 6 times more than the construction cost of RM 5.9 billion.
By right, toll collection should be abolished. Malaysians must be allowed to use the North-South Highway free of charge if the BN Federal government is a people-centric government. Unfortunately BN only looks after its cronies to earn extraordinary profits at the expense of 30 million Malaysians by allowing the North-South Highway to continue unjustifiably to collect toll.
LIM GUAN ENG
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2016年11月3日在吉隆坡发表的声明：
2016年税收减少5%显示出因消费税引发的经济恶化迹象，为了弥补这个税收的缺口，当局将肆意或以高压手段，对企业展开税务稽查，以填补这个缺口。
2016年1月28日的《财经日报》（Malaysia Reserve）引述内陆税收局首席执行员丹斯里莫哈末苏古称，马来西亚将连续第2年面对税收减少5%的问题，比去年已经减少的的1212亿3千万令吉，再减少至1150亿令吉。莫哈末苏古称，这5%的税收减少，与原油价从2014年的每桶110美金跌至目前的每桶45美金的急剧下跌的跌幅是对等的，因为内陆税收局有30%的收入是来自于石油及天然气领域（O&G）。
税收不足、加上双重冲击的贪污事件（520亿令吉一个马来西亚丑闻及42亿令吉的捐款丑闻），以及令吉大幅度的贬值，导致国阵联邦政府必需实施消费税。尽管国阵的副财政部长阿末玛斯兰曾承诺指消费税会让物品价格下降，但实际上，消费税已导致一般大众面对通货膨胀及生意难做的局面。
现在不只是食用油及汽油涨价，大道的过路费也将在明年调涨。民主行动党估计，2016年税收减少5%显示因消费税引发的经济恶化迹象。为了弥补这个税收的缺口，当局将肆意或以高压手段，对企业展开税务稽查，以填补这个缺口。
让人担忧的是，内陆税收局为了填补这个税收的缺口，试图透过肆意或以高压手段，对企业展开税务稽查，导致企业成为受害者。虽然内陆税收局对付被称企图逃税的商家并没有错，但是如此侵略式的彻底调查方式，为什么没有同样的套用在诸如刘特佐及其父亲丹斯里利福平身上呢？
内陆税收局兴致缺缺也没要求刘特佐缴交应有的税务，是非常不公平的举动，也将只会让人怀疑税务执法上持有双重标准。再说，若刘特佐缴交的税还不够，内陆税收局还是可以跟那些获得海外巨款捐献的人征收额外的税收，特别是那些获得420亿令吉进入个人户口的人。如果内陆税收局拒绝调查刘特佐及他的家人或那些个人户口坐拥42亿令吉的人，那么内陆税收局就没有权力去稽查或调查全马的普通商家。
很明显，国阵完全没有任何头绪如何去协助普通老百姓减少他们的经济困境，而且也无法妥善做好经济管理，只会图利朋党却无法造福大马人。如，工程部长法迪拉称1988年原有的南北大道合约注明特许经营权应该在2018年终止，但它却竟然延长到2038年12月31日。
法迪拉也称，南北大道在1989年动工，1994年完成，耗资59亿令吉，并由特许经营权者完全承担，而征地所产生的成本则由政府负责。
法迪拉说至2015年底，单是南北大道所收集的总过路费是363亿9000万令吉。截至2015年为了阻止大道过路费调涨共赔偿给大道公司9亿1710万令吉。换言之，大道公司所收到的363亿9000万令吉的过路费已经高过建造费用59亿令吉的6倍。
其实，过路费应该要取消掉才对。如果国阵联邦政府真的是以民为本的政府，大马人必须能够免费使用南北大道。很不幸的，国阵只会照顾他的朋党，非常不公不义地继续让他们收取过路费，从3000万大马人的花费中赚取超级丰厚的利润。
林冠英