Director fined RM49,500 for not paying staff’s tax deductions

A fine of RM49,500 or 33 months imprisonment was meted out on a company director for failing to pay to employees’ monthly income tax deductions yesterday (13 Dec) in Malaysia, reports Bernama.

Roger David Weston Gumbrell was charged by the Magistrate’s Court with 33 counts of failing to remit the amount of tax payment made in monthly salary deduction by his employees to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) director-general without valid reason.

The offence involved an amount of RM238,122, and was committed between January 2013 and December 2015. The director was fined RM1,500 or a month's jail time on each count.

Gumbrell was also ordered to pay RM46,387 to LHDN within two months, and a warrant of levy would be imposed if he failed to do so.

Prosecuting officer Noor Akhmar Mohd Khatli, had requested that the director be imprisoned for committing a criminal breach of trust and causing inconvenience, as workers had been detained by the Immigration Department when trying to go overseas.

Magistrate Zuhair Rosli said in the judgement that the offence committed was serious and that the punishment meted was a lesson to employers on discharging their responsibilities to employees.

Photo / 123RF