M Saravanan (BN-Tapah) said many people are unaware of their tax arrears and face travel restrictions after making plans to travel abroad.

“If this issue arises during office hours, then they can usually resolve it. However, many encounter these problems at night and are unable to contact the relevant officers.

“Therefore, I suggest the government or these agencies set up 24-hour counters at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2,” he told the Dewan Rakyat when debating the Supply Bill 2025.

The insolvency department is responsible for managing individuals under bankruptcy orders, and this can include imposing travel restrictions by adding their name to the immigration department’s blacklist.

In September, LHDN advised taxpayers to check their travel restriction status on the immigration website before making plans to travel overseas.

LHDN public relations officer Azaharuddin Ali said the move was important to avoid the last-minute stress of being stranded at airports due to tax arrears.

Last year, it was reported that over 180,000 individuals were barred from leaving the country for failing to pay their taxes, involving a total of RM7.93 billion.

A LHDN spokesman was then quoted as saying that the travel restriction was even imposed on those who failed to pay less than RM100 in arrears.