LHDN: No extension after May 15

PETALING JAYA: Thousands of taxpayers are expected to make a last-minute dash to file their tax returns online with the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) before the deadline ends on May 15 to avoid being penalised.

This is because there are no plans by LHDN to grant an extension on the deadline for online submission following the expiry of the earlier April 30 deadline for manual submissions.

“As for the due date and grace period for submission of income tax return forms, it has been clearly stated in the Return Form Filing Programme for the Year 2021 through LHDN’s official portal.

“No further extension will be given, ” LHDN said in a statement yesterday.

As at May 5, LHDN has received around 2.59 million income tax return forms from individuals with no business income via e-filing, representing an increase of 73% compared to the same period last year.

LHDN expects to receive up to 530,000 E forms from registered employers.

It also expects to receive around 3.27 million BE, B, BT, M and MT forms from individuals with Monthly Tax Deduction and CP500 instalments.

LHDN noted that taxpayers who have yet to file their tax returns on time could face fines between RM200 and RM20,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both, upon conviction.

If no prosecution is instituted, LHDN said that it could impose a penalty equal to three times the amount of tax payable for that year of assessment.

Among those making a beeline to settle their taxes was accountant Monica Lee, 33, from Kepong.

She said that she forgot to file her taxes as she had been bogged down with work.

“I forgot about filing my taxes as I was preoccupied with so much work and thoughts of the recent Covid-19 happenings.

“I am glad that the deadline is May 15.

“I usually tend to procrastinate till the last minute before filing my taxes, ” she said.

Burrd Lim, 52, also admitted being among those who held off filing their tax returns until later.

“I was hoping to do my taxes earlier than usual this year but have not done so.

“I was relieved when I found out the deadline was May 15 and not April 30 as I had thought, ” he said.

The IT manager from Sungai Buloh said that he will get his taxes done before the deadline ends this coming Saturday.

But it was a different scenario for a sales executive who only wanted to be known as Ruth.

“The moment the government announced that it was time to submit our income tax, I immediately did it.

“I prefer to get it over and done with as I do not want to be stressed as the deadline approaches, ” the 28-year-old from Petaling Jaya said.

Ruth added that she had filed her taxes early to avoid glitches in the system due to the last-minute rush by others to submit their tax returns.

The deadline for e-filing for the BE form is on May 15 while that for those who sent in their forms manually was April 30.

Salaried employees must file their taxes through e-filing by May 15 while those earning a business income will have to do so by June 30.