KUALA LUMPUR: More than one million taxpayers are expected to file their income tax returns using the e-filing system this year.

Since the launch of the service two years ago, the number of income tax returns received through e-filing had increased by 369 per cent, said Inland Revenue Board chief executive officer Datuk Hasmah Abdullah yesterday.

She was speaking at a press conference after the launch of the taxpayers' service month.

Also present was Finance Ministry secretary-general of treasury Datuk Seri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah.

"Last year was encouraging. A total of 874,814 taxpayers e-filed their tax returns compared with 186,343 in 2006," said Hasmah.
This year, the IRB has introduced two new features in the service. The first is the Roaming Public Key Infrastructure, which enables taxpayers to file their income tax returns from any computer without the need to repeatedly download the digital certificate.

The digital certificate is a security feature for e-commerce applications.

The second feature enables tax agents to file their clients' forms through the e-filing method using the IRB's newly developed e-filing software.

Hasmah also gave the assurance that the system had adequate security features to ensure the confidentiality of taxpayers' information.

The IRB is also encouraging the public to file their income tax returns early for faster processing of tax refunds.

Hasmah said in the past, between 60 and 70 per cent of taxpayers filed their forms at the last minute, causing a delay in the processing time.

"The last-minute arrival of forms creates a volume that stretches our processing time beyond the 30-day deadline for e-filing and the three-month limit for those who submit them manually."

A total of 392,457 taxpayers obtained their refunds total-ling RM5.3 billion last year.

The IRB is expecting more than RM75 billion in tax revenue this year.

The taxpayers' service month, which started on Saturday, will end on June 30.

source: The New Straits Times