RECORDS show that no expatriate workers have failed to pay their taxes, Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said.

He said all expatriate workers had to show that they had fulfilled their tax obligations before they could renew their expatriate passes.

“So far none (failed to pay taxes). They have all complied because this is one of the main requirements for them to renew their expatriate pass to continue working in the country,” he said at a press conference today.

Khairul said the Immigration Department could stop expatriates from leaving the country if they failed to settle their tax dues.

He said Inland Revenue Board statistics showed that taxes collected from expatriates increased annually between 2014 and 2019, with RM1.06 billion in 2014, RM1.5 billion in 2015, RM2.04 billion in 2016, RM2.8 billion in 2017, RM3.3 billion in 2018 and RM3.6 billion in 2019.

Taxes collected from expatriates in 2020 and 2021 dropped to RM3.1 billion and RM2.5 billion respectively due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.

There are now 162,170 individuals holding active expatriate passes, with 99,200 being principal pass holders and 62,970 dependant pass holders. – Bernama, August 9, 2022.