KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Malaysia Customs has targeted to collect RM34 billion in tax by end of this year.
Director-general Datuk Seri Khazali Ahmad said the department is confident of reaching the target because for the first seven months of this year, it had collected RM19.4 billion. The department is optimistic in collecting the balance of RM14.6 billion by the end of the year to achieve its target.
“With positive attitude and a strong enforcement team, we believe we can achieve the desire target by end of this year.
“The highest contributing sector to the tax collection is the automotive which gave us about RM7 billion in sales tax and excise duties, followed by taxes from cigarettes and crude oil export duties,” he said at the breaking of fast event with Sabah Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and his consort Toh Puan Norlidah Binti Datuk RM Jasni at the surau in the Customs housing complex in Sepanggar on Tuesday.
Also present were Sabah Customs director Datuk Dr Janathan Kandok and other senior Customs officials.
On transformation of Customs to be a world class department in 2015, Khazali revealed that the department would be introducing U-Customs (Ubiquitous-Customs) to provide better services to the business community in the country.
“We are in the midst of creating the new system that will replace the current Customs Information System which has been used since 1995 at the department’s headquarters.
“Through U-Customs, the public, particularly traders and business people, including importers and exporters, could access information and pay their related taxes to us through online.
“They can access the new system anytime without going to the Customs office to settle their taxes,” he said, adding that the new system is expected to start operation by 2015.