Better Net security ranking for Malaysia

马来西亚网路安全排名有进步

Symantec最新的網際網路安全威脅報告 (Internet Security Threat Report Volume XIV) 指出，2008年的網路惡意程式碼 (Malicious Code) 活動繼續以前所未有的速度增加，直接威脅電腦使用者的機密資訊。而马来西亚在东南亚国家排名降至第九，2007为排名第6。

報告指出去年網路瀏覽行為 (Web Surfing) 繼續成為使用者感染惡意程式的主因。攻擊者利用愈來愈多特製的惡意程式碼工具套件，肆意開展和散播各類威脅。另外，Symantec在研究期間偵測到的威脅中，有九成皆以盜竊機密資訊為目的；而具有「按鍵側錄」(Keystroke-logging) 功能的威脅，在所有針對機密資料的威脅中佔76%，較2007年的72% 有所上升。這種功能常用於竊取網路銀行帳戶資料等機密資訊。

另一方面，報告發現了網路釣魚 (Phishing) 活動與日俱增。Symantec去年共偵測到55,389個釣魚網站，較2007年的33,428個激增了66%。去年的網釣活動中，有76% 均以金融服務為誘餌，比例高於2007年的52%。

此外，報告發現垃圾郵件有增無減。整體而言，Symantec發現去年網路的垃圾郵件由2007年的1,196億條，激增至3,496億條，增幅高達192%。

Source: Better Net security ranking for M'sia

Lessening the burden

FOR YA2008, employees need to make a minimum annual salary of RM26,804 before triggering income tax. Married couples should ensure that the higher-earning spouse claims child relief to lessen the tax burden.

Details: More tips on lessening your income tax burden

Tax reliefs:

Changes in tax regulations

These changes in tax regulations are:

Bonus/directors’ fees
Employees receiving director fees or bonuses in 2009 in relation to work performed in 2008 or prior to 2008 will only be taxed in year of assessment (YA) 2009 under a new amendment to the Income Tax Act 1967 to ease filing under the self assessment system via the Finance Act 2009 (gazetted on Jan 8, 2009).

These director fees or bonuses would be included in the EA Form 2009 to be submitted on April 30, 2010. They must not be treated as income in 2008 and should never be included in EA Form 2008.

EPF contributions: 11% or 8%?
Taxpayers need to consider the tax consequences if they elect to pay the mandatory minimum contribution of 8% to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF).

By opting to contribute 8% to EPF instead of the previous 11%, they lose out on dividends, decrease the potential size of their retirement nest egg, and could suffer additional income tax.

Details: If you pay minimum EPF how does it affect you taxes

Tax benefits for employees

IT’S tax season again! Employees are required to submit their tax return Form BE for year of assessment (YA) 2008 on or before April 30, where the income assessed is in relation to the basis period of Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2008.

Additional goodies for YA2008:

Compensation for loss of employment
Employees who are retrenched on or after July 1, 2008 will be granted an income tax exemption of RM10,000 for each completed year of service with the employer or companies in the same group. If the retrenchment was before July 1, 2008, then the amount exempted for each year of service will be RM6,000.

Tax-exempt employee benefits — allowances
(a) Petrol card/petrol allowance/travel allowance
(b) Meal allowance for working overtime, travelling outstation.
(c) Parking allowance.
(d) Medical treatment for employees, spouses and children to include traditional medicine such as ayurvedic treatment and acupuncture.
(e) Interest subsidies on housing, car and education. The total loan amount is restricted to RM300,000.
(f) Childcare allowance up to RM2,400 a year.
(g) Employers’ products or services which can be provided free or at a discount which must not exceed RM1,000 a year.
These allowances need to be disclosed in the Form EA as tax-exempt benefits although they are not taxable on employees. These benefits are also available for YA2009.

Official duties – travelling allowance
In the Budget 2009 announcement, the Government said petrol cards, petrol allowance, travelling allowance and toll cards for official duties up to RM6,000 a year will be tax-exempt.

This means that the employer will exclude RM6,000 a year from the taxable income of employees as reported in the EA Form. However, the employer needs to disclose this RM6,000 as a tax-exempt benefit in the EA Form.

Details: Tips for filling your income tax returns

Management Tools 2009

Management Tools 2009: An Executive's Guide by Bain & Company

Over the past three decades, management tools have become a common part of executives' lives. Whether trying to increase revenues, innovate, improve quality, increase efficiencies or plan for the future, executives have looked for tools to help them. The current environment of globalization and economic turbulence has increased the challenges executives face and, therefore, the need to find the right tools to meet these challenges.

To do this successfully, executives must be more knowledgeable than ever as they sort through the options and select the right management tools for their companies. The selection process itself can be as complicated as the business issues they need to solve. They must choose the tools that will best help them make business decisions that lead to enhanced processes, products and services and result in superior performance and profits.

Successful use of such tools requires an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each tool as well as an ability to creatively integrate the right tools, in the right way, at the right time. The secret is not in discovering one magic device, but in learning which mechanism to use, and how and when to use it. In the absence of objective data, groundless hype makes choosing and using management tools a dangerous game of chance.

Source: Management Tools 2009: An Executive's Guide
Download : Booklet [pdf] More: Management Tools