IRB, simple ‘means test’ for Rosmah would suffice

‘Rosmah’s bags aren’t from Petaling Street, IRB must probe’

Dont Just Talk: If indeed PM’s wife Rosmah Mansor has spent US$6 million in her shopping spree over the last few years, the questions that need to be asked is:

1. Where did Rosmah get that type of money to spend?

2. Rosmah claimed that it came from her savings and if that is the case, does she pay her share of income tax like every honest and hardworking Malaysians.

Can the director-general (DG) of LHDN (Inland Revenue Board) explain to Malaysians why there are apparently two standards for Malaysians – one for the honest, hardworking Malaysians and the other for special-privileged VVIPs?

Kangkung: Rosmah’s husband has allegedly siphoned billions from 1MDB and got away with it, so what is US$6 million worth of shopping?

You will have better luck if you were to call a mountain to move than to call for the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to investigate Rosmah.

Anonymous 1890491455255851: Rosmah should have been investigated a long time ago as her spending sprees are well-known.

Perhaps there was just a lack of paper evidence at the time because no one in this country has ever been committed to investigating politicians and their wives or husbands. This remains the case.

They have to turn a blind eye as if they were not to do so, their own careers would have probably come to an abrupt end.

But it looks like just as no action is taken against the PM for having millions going into his personal account, this too is being ignored by the authorities.

This is further evidence that the IRB only comes after us, the small people.

Vijay47: Over to you, LHDN, just do a simple investigation like a means test on the Pekan couple, impose the Arahan Operasi 1/2016 Penalty of just 15%, and you can still take home back duty of a few hundred million.

Gifts from friendly Arabs, she says? Unless Puan Rosmah is a Section 44 approved charity, such donations would similarly be liable.

Restless: IRB, if you choose to exercise selective investigation/exemption of taxes, I suggest that all taxpayers should not pay any tax pending your investigation into suspected Rosmah’s extravagant lavish spending beyond her earnings.

Anonymous 1545651439185163: The spending was allegedly charged to a credit card. IRB or Bank Negara can insist on getting information on the transactions of that account from this particular bank.

Anonymous 1689721435778173: Don’t waste your breath, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng. Do you think IRB will do what you ask?

Government agencies have shown by their past actions that they only implement the law selectively. Double standards prevail most of the time, especially where it involves the PM and Umno.

Roger 5201: What happened to without fear or favour? What happened to without exception?

If you are thinking what I am thinking, former minister of finance II Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah has declared there was no wrongdoing. If so, why is his blood pressure so high?

RM2.6 Billion Turkey Haram: Please don’t ask IRB, the attorney-general (AG), or any authority to investigate the ‘biggest robbery of all time’. They simply will not respond.

It is now world’s knowledge that Najib had used 1MDB money for his personal interest. It is not surprising that Rosmah used some of the money to purchase those expensive goods.

Also do you think her son Riza Aziz can get so much money to buy the expansive apartment in New York? And they don’t even feel shameful at all.

The craziest thing is Umno leaders still support him.

Anonymous 29051438068738: In Umno’s feudal Islamic state aka Malaysia, political functionaries appointed to high positions in all state and federal agencies are loyal only to their political masters – never to the institution or function they supposedly head.

Which is why billions can come and go out of the country, whose financial institutions are monitored by a central bank.

Does anyone think LHDN is being run by brutally honest, apolitical professionals such that it will immediately launch an investigation into how a “simple housewife” is able to acquire wealth that would even put multibillionaire royalty to shame?

Rupert16: By the way, I doubt if the US$6 million shopping spree includes the cost of the private airplane that was used to fly her on her worldwide shopping trips, which needless to say, is also borne by honest, hardworking taxpayers.

If all these are added up, it is without a doubt that the amount she allegedly squandered will be more than US$10 million, at the very least.

FellowMalaysian: While LHDN and Immigration Department tracked the 500,000 PTPTN-loan (Higher Education Fund) and other loan defaulters, and prevented them from travelling overseas, how could these two guardian authorities let slip an obvious and known case where US$6 million were spent by a single person without allegedly paying a sen in income tax?

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.