KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department is confident of collecting RM52 billion in tax revenue this year as targeted by the government in the 2016 Budget.
Its director-general, Khazali Ahmad, said the department was undertaking initiatives to improve the tax collection system for the convenience of taxpayers.
Out of the total, RM39 billion was expected to come from the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he told a press conference at the 17th WCO Asia/Pacific Regional Heads of Customs Administration Conference (RHCA) here today.
“We will also step up our surveillance of traders and taxpayers through stringent enforcement.
“In the current situation, we need to step up efforts to ensure the target is achieved. The forecast is based on our calculations. We don’t simply put up a figure,” he added.
Earlier in his speech, Khazali hoped the forum could be a proper platform for the department to learn about current and future technology that could be utilised to deliver effective and efficient service.
This is the second RHCA conference hosted by Malaysia as the vice-chair for the Asia/Pacific region after the 16th RHCA Conference in Melbourne, Australia, last year.
“The forum, themed ‘The Use of Advanced Technology For Effective and Efficient Customs Operations’, will look at emerging challenges faced by the Customs and how technology can be utilised to address these challenges,” he added.
