KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has extended its State Sales Tax Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme to March this year following a good response to the amnesty initiative.
State sales tax director Datuk Mohd Sofian Alfian Nair said the state Finance Ministry launched the programme last Aug 15.
Mohd Sofian, who was also the ministry’s permanent secretary, said the programme was aimed at encouraging taxpayers, particularly those dealing with fisheries commodities and scrap metal as well as waste taken out of Sabah, to voluntarily step forward to register and settle the sales taxes within the proper time frame.
"Under this special initiative, taxpayers will not be imposed any penalty if the payment is submitted within the period the programme is being implemented," he said, in a statement here on Friday (Jan 12).
"Hence, in view of the good reception towards the programme which ended on Dec 31, the state Finance Ministry has extended it up to March 31," he added.
Mohd Sofian said the tax period for fisheries commodities is from May 1, 2021 to Aug 14, 2023 and, Feb 1, 2022 to Aug 1, 2023 for scrap metal and waste taken out of Sabah.
He said the terms and regulations of the programme remained the same, adding companies could refer to its guidelines on the state Finance Ministry’s website https://mof.sabah.gov.my/.
He added they could also channel their enquiries to the State Sales Tax Division at 088- 368038/088-368068/088-368052 or email to Dknormahani.pgmohd@sabah.gov.my / Claudia.Salbishte@sabah.gov.my.
When tabling the Sabah state budget 2024 last November, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun had said the state would continue with efforts to increase its revenue and planned to implement the State Sales Tax Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme.
He urged the relevant companies to voluntarily come forward for licence registration and declare taxes in compliance with the State Sales Tax Enactment 1998.
He said the state would also enhance enforcement to collect outstanding revenues and address leakages with assistance from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Royal Malaysian Customs Department in state sales tax collection.
