KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s transition to a fully digital tax ecosystem is gaining pace, with 735 million e-invoices already issued and 44,000 small and micro businesses adopting the system voluntarily, says Lim Hui Ying.
The Deputy Finance Minister said the early uptake among small traders, many of whom are not yet required to comply, shows “strong and growing acceptance” of the initiative as the government phases in e-Invois across all sectors.
“We are seeing a higher-than-expected level of voluntary participation, especially among micro and small enterprises.
“This shows that businesses are recognising the operational and administrative benefits of e-Invois,” she told Parliament on Monday (Nov 24).
She said the government is implementing the e-Invois system in phases to support the digitalisation of Malaysia’s tax administration in line with the 12th Malaysia Plan, which prioritises improved digital infrastructure and modernised public service delivery.
Lim said e-Invois is designed to streamline business operations, reduce manual processes and errors, simplify tax filings and digitise tax reporting - ultimately improving long-term compliance.
“E-Invois enhances efficiency for businesses and strengthens Malaysia’s tax ecosystem.
“But meaningful improvement in compliance levels can only be accurately measured once full mandatory implementation begins,” she said.
According to her, the rollout is still in its early stages, with the government giving a six-month transition period for each phase to help companies prepare before mandatory issuance takes effect.
As of Nov 21, Lim said a total of 108,000 taxpayers have begun using e-Invois.
Of this number, 64,317 taxpayers are doing so mandatorily across the first three phases, while the remaining 44,000 from phases four and five have opted to join voluntarily.
Lim stressed that this early participation demonstrates strong readiness among businesses to transition into a digital and fully traceable tax environment.
To ensure small enterprises have adequate preparation time, she reminded that the government has introduced a phased approach for companies with annual sales below RM5mil.
Phase four, beginning Jan 1, 2026, covers businesses with annual sales exceeding RM1mil up to RM5mil, while phase five, starting July 1, 2026, involves those earning between RM500,000 and RM1mil.
Meanwhile, traders with annual sales below RM500,000 are exempted from mandatory implementation.
Lim said the exemption protects micro-entrepreneurs from additional costs and technical hurdles, although the government continues to encourage voluntary participation.
To further support MSMEs, Lim said the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) has made the MyInvois Portal available for free, allowing businesses to issue e-invoices without purchasing software.
“The government has also launched the MyInvois mobile application, enabling users to generate e-invoices directly from their smartphones.
“Additionally, the MyInvois e-POS system serves as a digital point-of-sale platform that allows sellers to issue e-Invois during transactions or upon customer request,” she said.
Lim said LHDN continues to conduct nationwide awareness and engagement programmes, particularly for small traders, to guide them through the onboarding process.
