vox populi small thumbnail 'IRB should initiate to freeze the bank accounts and assets of KDSB as legal proceedings take a very long time, otherwise the money may have fled overseas and its assets sold.'

 

IRB to take action against 'tax evader' KDSB

Susah Kes: Section 75A(1) of the Income Tax Act reads: "Where any tax is due and payable under this Act by a company, any person who is a director of that company during the period in which that tax is liable to be paid by that company... shall be jointly and severally liable for such tax..."

With other cases, when the IRB (Inland Revenue Board) goes after unpaid taxes, especially those who under-declared, they really go after the poor soul, giving nightmares to the tax evader. IRB can even institute criminal charges against the evader, especially when there is an intent to evade tax.

Why no action is taken against the directors of KBSB (Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd)?

Anonymous: Section75A(1) is clearly for the man on the streets, the ones who can be bullied to pay taxes. Till now I have a lot of respect for IRB especially the lady boss (Hasmah Abdullah) who turned IRB around single-handedly. Their efficiency increased with her leadership, but now to know that they have been selective, I feel sad.

Yes, a few good men and women in IRB have been told by a few rotten politicians as to how to conduct its business and I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. We should dig into the accounts of all crony companies. The cans of worms are there, we have to find them. What about Dr Mohd Khir Toyo? Has he paid his taxes?

Jimmy Ng: No matter how IRB may choose to spin it, the money belongs to the rakyat. So there is no excuse whatsoever for the IRB not to take serious action to recover the back taxes owed by KDSB. They must do their duty. Otherwise, the rakyat will have the right to seek and demand an explanation from the IRB. The patriotism and credibility of the IRB will come into doubt if they decide not to take any further action.

Agent99: A week or two from now, we will definitely read a news report that KDSB has paid the taxes in full. But do we get to see the proof that the taxes have actually been paid? The answer will be a definite ‘no' because I am sure such payments will be classified as private and confidential or may even stamped ‘official secret' under the OSA. Case closed.

Amaso: IRB should initiate to freeze the bank accounts and assets of KDSB as legal proceedings take a very long time, otherwise by the time of the court judgment, the money may have fled overseas and its assets sold. If the police can freeze, confiscate drug suspects' assets and money before trial, similar actions should be imposed on KDSB.

Au Fait: After 13 long years, KDSB still owes RM328 million to IRB. KDSB must have financed Umno/BN heavily for it to be deliberately ignored by IRB.

Should we be sending the creme de la creme overseas?

Ipohcrite: Chandra Muzaffar, how do you determine who are exactly the 'best' students, when politics and the Malay race reign supreme? Sure, your suggestion is good.

Just make sure all students sit for a common exam and be selected on real merit for university admission. Not by backdoor methods of admission, okay? And yes, put in the quality lecturers, not the half-past-six types we now have who are predominantly of one race.

VP Biden: Chandra, before I send my children (hopefully I produce best brainers), can the current BN regime show me that they will get a place in the course and university of their choice?

Can the BN regime further guarantee that they will reduce ethnic dichotomisation and enhance excellence as you have said? Can the BN regime show to Joe Public how the Public Services Department interviews the creme de la creme?

I'm sorry I don't buy your ‘academic achievement (85 percent), co-curriculum activities (10 percent) and interview (five percent)' criteria. If the truth is out there, and since I'm a sceptic, show me I'm wrong. For the best brains to study in local university, the best brains need to be employed to teach, research and generate intellectual discussions. Show me a vice-chancellor other than those chosen based on their race.

You have said it all by saying "there has been an earnest attempt to accommodate the aspirations of the various communities." Attempts have been going on for 40 years now, but there has been no implementation. Hendak seribu daya, tak nak seribu dalih . That, sir, is what all this and 1Malaysia is about.

Pemerhati: Once upon a time, Universiti Malaya was a premier university which was comparable to the highly-regarded National University of Singapore. But Umno's and Dr Mahathir Mohamad's racist policies of giving preference to race over merit changed all that, and now it is way down in its rankings.

The question now is, should we send the best students to third-rate universities, either locally or abroad? The long-term solution (five to 10 years) is to have at least one or more first-class universities locally where our best students can go. All we have to do to raise the standards locally is to follow the policies that were in place immediately after Merdeka and before the introduction of Ketuanan Melayu and apartheid-like policies in the whole public service.

In the meantime, the best students should only be sent to the first-class Ivy League-type of universities after they have gained admission by studying locally. Some of these people could then become teachers in our first-class universities in five to 10 years.

KayKay: The politics needs to be taken out of education. Abolish both ministries of education and replace with an Education Commission appointed by the king. At the state level, there should be independent Education Boards.

Robert L: How can any Malaysian student, let alone the creme de la creme, hope to obtain even an adequate education in Malaysia, given the many curbs in Malaysian universities on freedom of thought, and the promotion of sub-standard teachers to professorial status by 'virtue' of race and cronyism?

Daniel Collin Lazaroo: The content and quality of our local institutions can improve if the best minds of the nation continue their education in Malaysia if, and really only if, these same individuals continue their studies on to PhD level and eventually become the educators of the next generation. The reality is that the path of the academic is not a path for everyone.

That said, it is also very much arguable that sending the best of the nation overseas for an education of higher quality, and attracting them back to teach/run the local universities would probably be a better way of increasing the quality of our local programmes.

At the end of the day, though, it boils down to the leadership of our local universities - and whether they are able to create a conducive and attractive enough environment that allows for the improvement of the delivery of an education..

Mingguan Malaysia warned over 'YB J' article

Phra Ong Chao: So it took nearly two years for the Home Ministry to issue a warning letter to Utusan Malaysia but in the meantime, the daily has published countless other inciting pieces. But if Harakah or The Rocket publishes anything remotely critical of the government, it gets warned or banned. Lovely.

Gen2: With this kind of Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) executive officer, Chamil Wariya, no wonder the mainstream Malaysian press is at the bottom of the trustworthiness scale.

Voter-get-Voters: Just a slap on the wrist for inciting and encouraging murder. Welcome to 1Malaysia. Keep voting BN folks, and you reap what you sow. Or else work harder and smarter to get more voters for Pakatan Rakyat.

Kit Siang: Are you for or against Perkasa?

Free: We all know Muhyiddin Yassin is a racist, even when he was Johor MB . Now as DPM, he is more racist as has an agenda to become PM with a former prime minister's backing.

There is no 1Malaysia as it is merely a slogan which they hope will be sung by everyone to become reality. The rakyat are not stupid. Perkasa can continue with their agenda but most rakyat will not buy it as they are only puppets for the Umnoputras.

Freemsia: BN is not sincere about whether they support or against Perkasa. In the English dailies, they will give intense coverage of what Mohd Nazri Aziz says to show to the non-Malays that the government is against it.

In the Malay dailies, they will give intense coverage to Muhyiddin to show that the government is acceptable to Perkasa. Umno practises discrimination, yet in Islam, it says that all men and race are created equal.

 

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only Malaysiakini subscribers can post comments. Over the past six months, Malaysiakinians have posted 50,000 comments. Be part of the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .