KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM4.4bil in additional tax assessments has been raised as of June 30 following the Inland Revenue Board’s (LHDN) audit and compliance efforts, says Datuk Dr Abu Tariq Jamaluddin.
The LHDN chief executive officer said the additional assessments reflect LHDN’s commitment to safeguarding government revenue while upholding the integrity of the tax system.
Abu Tariq stressed that LHDN would continue to focus on cases involving serious tax non-compliance, including tax evasion and aggressive tax planning.
“This approach is important to ensure the fairness of the tax system and that every taxpayer fulfils their responsibilities equitably.
“As of June 30 this year, LHDN has raised additional tax assessments amounting to RM4.4bil, reflecting our commitment to safeguard government revenue and strengthen the integrity of the tax system,” he said in his welcoming address at the opening of the 26th National Tax Conference yesterday.
On the additional tax assessments, Abu Tariq said every case was reviewed at the branch, state and headquarters levels before the assessments were issued.
“This process ensures every decision is made transparently, objectively and in accordance with the law, while strengthening taxpayers’ confidence in the tax system,” he added.
Abu Tariq said strengthening tax compliance goes hand in hand with protecting taxpayers’ rights.
He added that taxpayers could appeal against assessments and resolve disputes through LHDN’s Dispute Resolution Department.
He said the platform enables tax disputes to be resolved professionally, fairly and effectively.
“Court cases brought by taxpayers also help provide greater certainty in the interpretation and application of tax laws,” he said.
Separately, Abu Tariq said LHDN is expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen tax administration, including analysing more than 1.6 billion e-Invoices received so far to improve compliance and risk detection.
He said AI-powered analytics allow LHDN to process, examine and analyse large volumes of e-Invoice data more efficiently.
“The capability enables transaction patterns to be identified more quickly and accurately, enhancing compliance risk detection, strengthening the integrity of tax data and supporting more data-driven decision-making,” he said.
He noted that AI has become a key component of the board’s operations in line with its digital transformation under the LHDN Corporate Plan 2026-2030.
Abu Tariq said AI is one of four strategic pillars underpinning LHDN’s transformation agenda, alongside efforts to broaden the tax base.
The transformation, he added, would improve compliance effectiveness while strengthening internal operations.
As an example, he said AI has been incorporated into the Self-Assessment Stamp Duty System, which came into effect on Jan 1 this year.
The system assists taxpayers in identifying the correct category of instruments and determining the applicable stamp duty more accurately.
