
High Court grants Na'imah leave to challenge IRB's RM313.8 mln tax claim
SHAH ALAM: The High Court today granted leave to Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid, the widow of former finance minister the late Tun Dr Daim Zainuddin, to commence judicial review proceedings to challenge the Inland Revenue Board's (IRB) tax claim of RM313.8 million.
Her counsel, S. Saravana Kumar, stated that the court was satisfied that his client's application for leave had merit.
Speaking outside the courtroom, Saravana Kumar said Justice Dr Shahnaz Sulaiman held that Na'imah's application was neither frivolous nor vexatious, and that it raised legal questions warranting a substantive hearing.
Federal counsel Sheryn Yong appeared on behalf of the Attorney General's Chambers during the proceedings.
Previously, on Oct 18, 2024, the same court dismissed Na'imah's application for a temporary stay of the order requiring her to settle RM313.82 million in income tax arrears to the IRB.
The court had ruled that there were no exceptional circumstances to justify the stay and affirmed that the respondent was empowered under the Income Tax Act 1967 to enforce collection.
However, on Oct 28, 2024, the Court of Appeal unanimously allowed Na'imah's application for a temporary stay of the payment order.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
15 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
June 10 hearing on Anwar's bid to stay sexual assault suit
KUALA LUMPUR: The Court of Appeal has set June 10 for the ad interim hearing of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's bid to stay proceedings in a 2021 sexual assault suit filed by his former research officer, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther. Anwar's lawyer, Datuk Seri Rajasegaran Krishnan, said the date was fixed during case management before deputy registrar Ahmad Izuddin Fajri Fakrullah. "The full stay application hearing is on July 21,'" he told the "New Straits Times". The hearing comes ahead of the civil trial on June 16 before High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain. The suit was filed before Anwar became prime minister on Nov 24, 2022. Separately, Rajasegaran said Sept 2 was set for case management in Anwar's appeal against Roz Mawar's decision rejecting his bid to refer eight constitutional questions to the Federal Court, including whether he has immunity from civil suits. Roz Mawar, in her decision, ruled that Anwar's referral application on the eight constitutional questions was speculative and did not meet the requirements under Section 84 of the Courts of Judicature Act. Anwar had sought the apex court to rule whether Articles 5, 8, 39, 40 and 43 of the constitution grant him qualified immunity from Yusoff's suit. He also argued that the suit could impair his ability to perform executive duties and undermine the constitutional separation of powers.


New Straits Times
17 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
IRB makes stamping of job contracts mandatory from 2026
PUTRAJAYA: The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has announced that all employment contracts between employers and employees must be stamped from Jan 1, 2026. This directive follows the phased implementation of the Stamp Duty Self-Assessment System (STSDS), as outlined in the 2025 Budget. In a statement today, the IRB said it had begun comprehensive stamp duty audit activities nationwide since January, following the issuance of the Stamp Duty Audit Framework (RKADS). "Through these audit activities and compliance operations, one of the key findings is that many employment contracts have not been stamped as required under Item 4, First Schedule of the Stamp Act 1949, which stipulates a stamp duty of RM10," the IRB said. To ease the burden on employers, the Ministry of Finance has agreed to exempt employment contracts executed before Jan 1, 2025, from stamp duty. This exemption is granted under the powers of the Finance Minister in subsection 80(1A) of the Stamp Act 1949, while the authority to remit late-stamping penalties falls under subsection 47A(2), which empowers the Collector of Stamp Duty. Employment contracts finalised between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2025, will still be subject to stamp duty. However, the IRB will grant a remission of late-stamping penalties, provided the contracts are stamped by Dec 31, 2025. From Jan 1, 2026, all employment contracts must be stamped promptly, as any delays will result in penalties. In light of these developments, the IRB has urged employers to review and update existing and upcoming contracts to ensure full compliance with the Stamp Act 1949.


Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Singapore's ex-minister Iswaran completes jail sentence
Former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison in October 2024 on four charges of accepting valuable items as a public servant and one charge of obstruction of justice. (AFP pic) SINGAPORE : Former transport minister S Iswaran has completed his jail sentence for corruption and is no longer in custody, local media reported. The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said Iswaran completed his sentence under the home detention scheme, The Straits Times reported today. Iswaran, 62, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by the High Court on Oct 3, 2024, after pleading guilty to four charges of accepting valuable items as a public servant and one charge of obstruction of justice. He began serving his sentence on Oct 7 and was placed on home detention on Feb 7 this year, after being assessed as suitable for the scheme.