Press Statement
by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Tuesday): DAP expresses full support for four unions representing officers and staff of the IRB opposing any extension to Inland Revenue Board(IRB) Chair Tan Sri Zainol Abidin Abdul Rashid’s contract which is due to expire on Oct 18. The unions, comprising the Inland Revenue Officers Union, IRB Support Services Staff Union and the unions representing staff in Sabah and Sarawak, had sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister alleging that Zainol Abidin had not been sensitive to or caring about the welfare of IRB staff.

Tan Sri Zainol has not only been insensitive or uncaring about the welfare of IRB staff, he has also not been sensitive about the feelings of the Chinese community. Tan Sri Zainol had outraged the Chinese community last year when he took legal proceedings to demand RM 380,000 in back taxes from Perak Han Chiang Association and RM 439,000 from Kampar Ancient Temple Association to force them to pay taxes on revenue generated from running a cemetery. Sri Zainol went ahead despite protests by the Chinese community that the cemeteries were run by non-profit Chinese associations as a religious and cultural service.

At that time DAP had strongly opposed Tan Sri Zainol’s move to collect taxes from all Chinese cemeteries based on three basic principles:-

·     Are Muslim cemeteries imposed such taxes? If they are not, then why the discriminatory and unfair treatment against Chinese cemeteries to pay taxes when justice demands that all be treated equally before the law. Are Muslim and non-Muslim dead not the same and do they not enjoy the right to rest in peace?
 

·     If Muslim cemeteries are imposed such taxes, then there should be an amendment to the law that exempts all cemeteries that are non-profit-based from being taxed; and
 

·     Imposing taxes on Chinese cemeteries that is voluntary, charitable and non-profit goes against the basic principle of taxation by taxing those who make profits. Precisely because Chinese cemeteries are non-profit, IRB has not demanded such taxes for the past 45 years.

If the IRB had not finally backed down, the whole issue may affect national unity in Malaysia. That is why DAP fully agrees with the four unions in IRB that it is time for Tan Sri Zainol to retire when he is not sensitive to the welfare of IRB staff and the Chinese community. Like the dead in the Chinese cemeteries whom he tried to collect taxes, Malaysians want Tan Sri Zainol to quickly retire in peace.

(18/10/2005)