PETALING JAYA: Refunds by the Inland Revenue Board will automatically be banked into taxpayers' bank accounts under e-Refund.

IRB chief executive officer Datuk Hasmah Abdullah said that under e-Refund, those who use e-Filing to submit their tax returns, would be able to get their refunds within a month.

“We are now working on the specifications of the e-Refund software and looking at the security of this system so that it can work effectively in refunding the money.

“The new system will likely be implemented for 2008 returns,” she told The Star.

Hasmah said this was among the reasons why IRB has been asking taxpayers to submit details of their bank account numbers in the tax returns.

A total of 874,814 taxpayers e-Filed their tax returns last year, compared with 186,343 in 2006.

Hasmah said that they were expecting more than a million taxpayers to e-File their returns this year, as e-Filing system had been made more user-friendly.

She said currently refund cheques are prepared and mailed to the taxpayer and the whole process may take five to six weeks, as the volume involved is large.

Taxpayers have expressed their unhappiness with the current refund system. Among the grouses were the delay in processing refunds, refund cheques in the mail getting lost and taxpayers’ contribution not updated.

On the filing of the 2007 tax returns, Hasmah said most of the IRB branches nationwide would be operating from 8am to 10pm until the deadline on April 30.

“If there is a crowd, IRB will also extend its service time to even midnight,” she added.

The e-Filing system, she said, was working well without any hitch.

She urged taxpayers to file their returns early and not wait till the very last minute.

For more information on e-Filing, visit www.hasil.org.my or call 1-300-88-3010.