The government has refunded excess tax payments amounting to RM6.2 billion for the year of assessment (YA) 2023, as of Feb 18 this year, hence settling 95,282 cases, said Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong.
He stated that, although the government has committed to resolving the YA 2023 cases by the end of the first quarter of 2026, it anticipates completing this process sooner, by February.
“Meanwhile, refunds for excess tax payments for YA 2024 are targeted to be completed before the end of this year.
“At the same time, refunds, regardless of the age of the cases, will continue to be made to all non-company taxpayers, especially individual taxpayers,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara today.
According to Bernama, Liew responded to a question from Senator Datuk Koh Nai Kwong, who sought assurance from the government that the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) would not experience future delays in processing and refunding excess taxes, thereby preventing the need for additional ad hoc allocations.
Liew highlighted that the excess tax refunds processed in 2025 amounted to RM22.45 billion, representing the highest figure in the past five years.
Over the past three years, from 2023 to 2025, the government has disbursed RM56 billion in tax refunds, representing a 50 percent increase compared to the RM37 billion refunded between 2020 and 2022.
“All excess tax payment cases for 2022 and earlier that were payable were completed in 2025. A total of 3.7 million cases were settled last year compared with 2.7 million cases in 2024,” he added.
