http://dapmalaysia.org  

DAP reiterates stand:  Grant tax exemption to non-profit making Chinese cemetery management committees Press Statement by Chow Kon Yeow (Parliament House, Tuesday): The DAP today welcome the announcement by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen that the Inland Revenue Board would temporary suspend court actions to recover outstanding taxes from Chinese cemetery management committees.  Last Thursday, while debating the 2005 Budget in Parliament, I have urged the government to suspend all court actions against Chinese management committees pending a viable solution to the tax problems faced by many Chinese associations throughout the country.  While we applaud the decision by the Finance Ministry and the Inland Revenue Board to suspend the court actions, we also appeal to the government to grant tax exemption to all non-profit making Chinese cemetery management committees.  The Finance Ministry must appreciate the role played by Chinese associations over the past 100 years in managing Chinese cemeteries.  These associations managed over a thousand cemeteries throughout the country on a non-profit basis and thus are providing a very important social service to the community and the country.  Furthermore, these associations are not granted government funds to purchase burial land and to manage these cemeteries.  It is for this reason that Chinese associations are unhappy over the government’s move to tax them.  We also want the government to provide lands to these associations to open up new cemeteries as existing cemeteries are mostly fully occupied.  We further call on the government to fully recognize the predicaments faced by Chinese cemetery management committees and not to rush ahead with court actions against these associations.   (21/9/2004) * Chow Kon Yeow, DAP National Vice Chairman and Member of Parliament (Tanjong)