KUCHING: The Employees Provident Fund targets 100% of employers in Sabah and Sarawak to use the ePayment system for contributions to the fund by the end of this year.
Contribution department senior general manager Azmi Awang said EPF wanted to raise awareness among employers in the two states on the electronic payment service as they were at the bottom of the list compared to other states.
He said that so far, about 68% of employers in Sabah and 69% in Sarawak were using the ePayment system.
He added that with aggressive promotions, EPF believed the target of 100% usage could be achieved by the year-end.
“The ePayment system is not only fast, easy, and saves costs but is also proven to be more efficient as payment can be made at any time.
“The payment is credited straight into the contributor’s account compared to using the manual system where it will take about a month,” he said.
Azmi said the use of electronic services in dealing with EPF started in 2013 but the promotional effort at the time focused on the use of electronic forms, while promoting the ePayment system intensified in 2015.
He said efforts needed to be intensified as, from this July, EPF would no longer receive payments at its counters and, although employers could make payments at banks, they would be charged for the service.
As for new employers, he said it was compulsory for them to use the ePayment system in their dealings with EPF.
Azmi said that in line with Sarawak’s emphasis on digital economy, this ePayment system was seen to be in tune with the state government’s vision of popularising the use of online facilities in the public’s daily dealings.
He said as part of the ePayment promotional effort in Sarawak, EPF invited about 150 employers to attend special briefing sessions in Kuching and Miri, with further sessions also being organised in Bintulu and Sibu. — Bernama