Friday, July 3, 2015

TAXES

1. One of the greatest achievements of Malaysia is in the collection of taxes. Malaysians willingly pay taxes. They fear legal action being taken against them. They fear more the raids on their businesses and residences by the income tax authorities. I know this because I was raided when I was expelled from the party and was working as a medical practitioner.

2. They got hold of my cheque stubs and nothing I said would convince them that the money in my account was not all mine. In the end I had to pay more than twice what they claimed I had not declared.

3. The income tax people are always on the lookout for people who live beyond their means. They would raid these people and would force them to pay additional tax should they feel that the culprit had not paid up fully on their wealth.

4. But of late we see some selectivity in the focus of the income tax people.

5. For example the step son of the Prime Minister is reported to have spent hundreds of millions of USD or Ringgit buying luxury residences in London, New York and Hollywood. He also expended many millions to finance the production of the film “The Wolf of Wall Street”.

6. When the Prime Minister’s Office claimed it was inherited money the brothers of Najib protested. Their father was not rich and did not leave hundreds of millions of Ringgit to the family. Even Najib had to admit that Tun Razak did not have such money to leave to his family. So where did this money come from?

7. It was claimed that the money was from business. If he made so much money from business he would have paid income tax. Has the income tax people investigated him regarding his business profits. How much tax had he paid. It is a secret of course. But I hope it is not a cover-up.

8. Then there is Jho Low. He bought a bank for 260 million US dollars. Where did he get the money. Is it borrowed? Did he sell the bank and paid taxes on the profit.

9. He also bought luxury flats in New York and Hollywood. Where did the hundreds of millions he paid for all these come from? Has he paid tax on them?

10. I believe executives of 1MDB and its subsidiaries are paid high salaries. Have they paid taxes on their earnings?

11. I understand that the Prime Minister as adviser to 1MDB is not paid anything. He is paid the Prime Minister’s salary, which I know is far smaller than what business executives get. But the Government pays allowances, the electricity and water bills, transportation, home, etc. So the salary can all be saved and spent.

12. But still the lavish lifestyle must cost a packet. It must be more than what I saved after 29 years in the Government.

13. It is a secret of course. But I just want to ask, has the income tax people investigated the source of the money and the tax paid.

14. We talk about equality before the law. In this country even the rulers are subject to certain laws. It is the essence of justice. We must be equal before the laws and we must be seen to be equal. Everyone who should be investigated by Government agencies must be investigated. There should be no discrimination.


VERSI BM
CUKAI

1. Salah satu pencapaian terbesar Malaysia adalah dalam kutipan cukai. Rakyat Malaysia dengan rela hati membayar cukai. Mereka takut tindakan undang-undang diambil terhadap mereka. Mereka lebih takut lagi jika serbuan dibuat ke atas perniagaan dan kediaman mereka oleh pihak berkuasa cukai pendapatan. Saya tahu ini kerana saya diserbu apabila saya dipecat daripada parti dan bekerja sebagai seorang pengamal perubatan.

2. Mereka dapatkan potongan buku cek saya dan tiada apa yang saya katakan dapat meyakinkan mereka bahawa wang dalam akaun saya bukan semuanya milik saya. Akhirnya saya terpaksa membayar lebih daripada dua kali ganda apa yang mereka mendakwa saya tidak isytiharkan.

3. Orang-orang cukai pendapatan sentiasa mencari-cari orang-orang yang hidup di luar kemampuan mereka. Mereka akan membuat penyerbuan atas orang-orang ini dan akan memaksa mereka membayar cukai tambahan jika sekiranya mereka rasakan bahawa pelakunya tidak membayar penuh mengikut kekayaan mereka.

4. Tetapi akhir-akhir ini kita lihat sikap memilih dalam tumpuan orang-orang cukai pendapatan.

5. Sebagai contoh, anak tiri Perdana Menteri dilaporkan telah membelanjakan beratus-ratus juta USD atau Ringgit membeli kediaman mewah di London, New York dan Hollywood. Beliau juga membelanjakan berjuta-juta membiayai pengeluaran filem “The Wall Street Wolf”.

6. Apabila Pejabat Perdana Menteri mendakwa inilah wang yang diwarisi, saudara-saudara Najib membantah. Bapa mereka tidak kaya dan tidak meninggalkan beratus-ratus juta Ringgit untuk keluarga. Malah Najib terpaksa mengakui bahawa Tun Razak tidak mempunyai wang sebanyak itu yang ditinggalkan kepada keluarganya. Jadi dari manakah wang ini datang?

7. Adalah didakwa bahawa wang itu adalah daripada perniagaan. Jika dia telah membuat begitu banyak wang daripada perniagaan pasti beliau akan membayar cukai pendapatan. Sudahkah orang-orang cukai pendapatan siasat beliau mengenai keuntungan perniagaannya? Berapa banyak cukai telah dia bayar? Sudah tentuIah ini adalah rahsia. Tetapi saya berharap ini bukan satu penyelindungan (cover-up).

8. Kemudian ada pula Jho Low. Dia membeli sebuah bank dengan harga US$260 juta. Dari mana beliau dapat wang ini? Adakah ia dipinjam? Adakah dia telah menjual bank ini dan membayar cukai ke atas keuntungan.

9. Beliau juga telah membeli rumah-rumah pangsa mewah di New York dan Hollywood. Dari mana datangnya beratus-ratus juta wang yang diguna untuk membayar semua ini? Adakah dia telah membayar cukai atas mereka?

10. Saya percaya eksekutif-eksekutif 1MDB dan anak-anak syarikatnya dibayar gaji yang tinggi. Ada mereka membayar cukai ke atas pendapatan mereka?

11. Saya difaham bahawa Perdana Menteri, sebagai penasihat kepada 1MDB, tidak dibayar apa-apa. Dia dibayar gaji Perdana Menteri, yang saya tahu adalah jauh lebih kecil daripada apa yang eksekutif perniagaan dapat. Tetapi Kerajaan membayar elaun-elaun, bil elektrik dan air, pengangkutan, tempat tinggal dan lain-lain. Oleh itu, gaji semua boleh disimpan dan dibelanjakan.

12. Masih, gaya hidup yang mewah pasti melibatkan kos yang tinggi. Pasti lebih daripada apa yang saya simpan selepas 29 tahun di dalam Kerajaan.

13. Sudah tentu ini adalah rahsia. Tetapi saya ingin bertanya, sudahkah orang-orang cukai pendapatan menyiasat sumber wang dan cukai yang dibayar?

14. Kita bercakap mengenai kesamarataan di sisi undang-undang. Di negara ini raja-raja pun tertakluk kepada undang-undang tertentu. Ia adalah intipati keadilan. Kita mesti sama rata di sisi undang-undang dan kita perlu dilihat sama rata. Setiap orang yang perlu disiasat oleh agensi-agensi Kerajaan mesti disiasat. Tidak boleh ada diskriminasi.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speech at United Nations General Assembly


Dr Mahathir Mohamad speech at the general debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly 2018
Turkey President Tayyip Edrogan speech at the general debate of the 74rd session of the United Nations General Assembly 2019
Dr Mahathir Mohamad speech at the general debate of the 74rd session of the United Nations General Assembly 2019