KUCHING, Oct 6: The Federal Cabinet has approved the proposed amendment to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRB) Act 1995 (Act 533) for Sarawak and Sabah to have its representatives sitting on the IRB’s Board of Directors.
In a statement today, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the proposal was approved on Sept 30 and the amendment to the Act will be presented to Parliament for approval.
He mentioned that the government had appointed a candidate from the Sabah government to fill the vacancy of a professional member on the IRB board on Sept 1, but it appears that a Sarawak representative has not been appointed.
“However, the proposed amendment which has been approved by the Cabinet will institutionalise having representatives from Sabah and Sarawak on the board of directors of LHDNM.
“It will also allow for the appointment of representatives from public servants of the State governments of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
The amendment to Act 533, Tengku Zafrul pointed out, was a follow up on the request by the two Borneo States which was agreed during the meeting of the Special Council on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) chaired by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“The government believes that the appointment of representatives from Sabah and Sarawak governments is in line with the spirit of MA63.
“We also welcome the contribution of ideas and expertise from the State government representatives related to taxation administration,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak government had submitted the name of its candidate to sit on the LHDNM board in July this year.
This came after Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg pursued this claim for Sarawak in order to have a clear and definite picture of the country’s financial position that would enable the Sarawak government to demand a rightful portion of revenue or Special Grant due to Sarawak. — DayakDaily
