Guan Eng warns of SME liquidity crisis over RM30b delayed tax refunds

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has called on the Malaysian federal government to hasten the repayment of RM29.919 billion in outstanding tax refund arrears, emphasizing the significant strain on corporate liquidity this delay poses, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

While acknowledging the reduction in tax refund liabilities, Lim criticized the remaining substantial amount owed to the private sector and proposed a RM10 billion cap to curb systemic delays.

He highlighted the growing financial penalties due to refund delays and expressed concern over insufficient advocacy by public officials for quicker disbursement.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has urged the federal government to expedite the repayment of RM29.919 billion in tax refund arrears, warning that holding back businesses’ own money severely strains corporate liquidity, particularly among struggling small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Lim, who is the member of parliament for Bagan, pointed to the 2025 Federal Government Financial Statements, which show that outstanding tax refund liabilities decreased by RM3.425 billion, dropping from RM33.342 billion in 2024 to RM29.919 billion in 2025.

While acknowledging the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) for whittling down the balance owed to firms that overpaid their taxes, Lim stressed that the outstanding sum remains colossal by any benchmark, especially since it belongs to the private sector.

“In 2026, RM9 billion was paid to 130,000 companies by Sept 30,” he noted, adding that the government must repay companies, especially the 1.2 million SMEs, more quickly.

To curb systemic delays, Lim proposed placing a strict RM10 billion cap on federal tax refund arrears. He argued that allowing the backlog to hover near RM30 billion inflicts undue financial hardship on cash-strapped businesses wrestling with deteriorating operating environments and a volatile global economic climate.

Historical data demonstrates a steady accumulation over recent years, Lim said. Outstanding tax refund commitments stood at RM21.836 billion in 2021, before climbing to RM25.721 billion in 2022 and RM25.511 billion in 2023.

The DAP lawmaker also took direct aim at public officials tasked with safeguarding small businesses, questioning why statutory agency leaders have failed to advocate forcefully for the immediate release of these funds.

“Failing to consistently and persistently press the government to return back to SMEs their own money, may give the unfortunate impression that those responsible and holding statutory positions are ‘sleeping on the job’.”

Lim also pointed out that statutory late-payment penalties have surged sharply as a consequence of refund delays. Under Section 111D of the Income Tax Act, the government is mandated to pay an annual 2 per cent compensation to taxpayers when IRB fails to disburse excess tax refunds within stipulated timeframes.

While IRB disbursed RM23.64 million under this mechanism in 2025, that penalty figure escalated by nearly fivefold in the first nine months of 2026 alone, hitting RM109 million as of Sept 30.

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前财政部长林冠英呼吁马来西亚联邦政府加快偿还299.19亿令吉的未缴退税款，并强调拖欠款项会给企业流动性带来巨大压力，尤其是对中小企业而言。

林冠英虽然承认退税负债有所减少，但他批评仍有大量款项欠私营部门，并提议设定 100 亿令吉的上限，以遏制系统性延误。

他强调了因退款延迟而造成的经济损失日益增加，并对公职人员在加快退款发放方面倡导力度不足表示担忧。

吉隆坡，10 月 21 日讯——前财政部长林冠英敦促联邦政府加快偿还 299.19 亿令吉的欠税，并警告称，扣留企业自有资金会严重影响企业流动性，尤其是对那些苦苦挣扎的中小型企业而言。

巴甘国会议员林冠英指出，2025 年联邦政府财务报表显示，未缴税款退还负债减少了 34.25 亿令吉，从 2024 年的 333.42 亿令吉降至 2025 年的 299.19 亿令吉。

林先生虽然承认内陆税收局 (IRB) 减少了多缴税款企业的欠款余额，但他强调，无论从哪个角度来看，未缴税款的数额仍然巨大，尤其考虑到这些税款属于私营部门。

他指出，“截至 2026 年 9 月 30 日，政府已向 13 万家公司支付了 90 亿令吉”，并补充说，政府必须更快地偿还公司款项，尤其是 120 万家中小企业。

为遏制系统性延误，林冠英提议将联邦退税欠款上限严格设定为100亿令吉。他认为，如果允许欠款金额徘徊在300亿令吉左右，将会给本已捉襟见肘、在经营环境恶化和全球经济动荡的双重压力下苦苦挣扎的企业带来不必要的财务负担。

林冠英表示，历史数据显示，近年来未兑现的退税承诺稳步增加。2021年，未兑现的退税承诺为218.36亿令吉，2022年增至257.21亿令吉，2023年增至255.11亿令吉。

这位民主行动党议员还直接抨击了负责保护小企业的公职人员，质疑为什么法定机构领导人没有大力倡导立即发放这些资金。

“如果不能持续不断地敦促政府将中小企业自己的资金返还给它们，可能会给人一种不幸的印象，即那些负责此事并担任法定职务的人是在‘玩忽职守’。”

林先生还指出，由于退税延迟，法定滞纳金大幅上涨。根据《所得税法》第111D条，如果内陆税收局未能按规定时间发放超额退税款，政府有义务向纳税人支付每年2%的补偿金。

虽然 IRB 在 2025 年根据该机制支付了 2364 万令吉，但仅在 2026 年前九个月，罚款金额就增加了近五倍，截至 9 月 30 日达到 1.09 亿令吉。

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