KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — A total of RM5.4 billion in tax refunds for the 2023 year of assessment, involving 38,629 cases, had been paid as of February 10, 2026, and the government is confident of completing the payments by this month, ahead of its first quarter of 2026 original target.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said refunds for excess tax payments for the 2024 year of assessment are targeted to be completed before the end of this year.

He was replying to Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-Tebrau) question during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today regarding the total amount of excess tax refunds paid to date, the outstanding balance, and the government’s timeline to settle the refunds fully.

According to him, tax refunds for the 2022 year of assessment and earlier were completed last year.

“The refunds involved 3.7 million cases in 2025, compared with 2.7 million cases in 2024,” he said.

He added that to ensure timely refunds, various measures have been implemented, including prioritising payments based on the age of outstanding cases.

These include the use of the first-in, first-out approach, full settlement of outstanding individual excess tax refunds, and prioritising micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) or companies facing cash flow constraints.

“The government is committed to ensuring that the tax refunds are completed in a fair, transparent and equitable manner, taking into account the interests of all taxpayers,” he said. — Bernama

 Malay Mail – Malaysia