The government’s estimate of an increased corporate income tax (CIT) revenue for next year is too optimistic, says Deutsche Bank Singapore economist Diana Rose del Rosario.

del Rosario said the government is anticipating CIT to increase from the estimated RM63.2 billion this year to RM69.2 billion next year.

“We have reservations with that; we think that is an optimistic assumption… We don’t see any force that can drive the corporate income tax significantly higher this year,” she told a forum in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.