Shouldn’t the Inland Revenue Board be held liable for spoiling a family’s vacation?
GOVERNMENT accountability at both executive and administrative levels in Malaysia seems to be in short supply.
This is the conclusion one can clearly make when it was reported that a husband-and-wife couple along with their family were denied getting on board their flight to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Feb 4 due to an administrative lapse.
The unfortunate Malaysian citizen – Irynn Ching – claimed in a Facebook post that they were prevented from boarding their flight when immigration officials said her husband had been flagged by the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) for unpaid taxes.
Her post has since garnered 2.7K likes, 665 comments and 2.9K shares at the time of writing,
Ching recounted that despite numerous calls to a number provided, there was no answer. Finally, her husband managed to speak to someone who then clarified that there had been a mistake and there was no outstanding debt to LHDN.
A sad day to remember ....
0400 get ready
0500 to KLIA
0630 checked in
0700 breakfast ...
Deserve compensation
Though they raced towards the departure gate, it was too late. The next available flight to their destination was triple the original fare and they then decided to cancel the trip.
They have lodged a police report as well as with the LHDN with the latter assuring them the matter will be investigated.
Now, there is an admission of fault. The consequence is a ruined family holiday.
Shouldn’t there be some form of compensation?
In any other scenario, this would be the norm. But it appears the Malaysian civil service is allowed a free pass when it comes to costly blunders.
In all honesty, the unfortunate lady understands pretty well that to err is human and that she is ready to move on. Nevertheless, she was highlighting the issue on social media just to raise awareness lest others also stopped from leaving the country for such reasons.
What if it the trip was for a once-in-lifetime event like a wedding? Or worse yet, to say goodbye to a dearly departed friend or relative?
Would the person be so understanding and forgiving?
To set a precedence, fair compensation should be made. Better yet, it should come out of the failing officer’s pocket and not at the taxpayer’s expense.
That’s the kind of accountability that is sorely missing from Malaysian civil service. Apply it and Malaysians will probably see a better level of service – or at the very least no mistakes of the one mentioned above. – Feb 27, 2025
Malaysian with No Taxes Owing
Serdang
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