JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Vice President Jusuf Kalla revealed that the government will award tax amnesty by end of this year or early next year, to cover the Rp200 million deficit of tax revenue.
Kalla, on his working visit at the UN headquarters in New York, said tax amnesty is not something new as it was ever implemented back in Soeharto’s years. At that time, Kalla claimed that the tax amnesty is effective as incentive to get more revenues from tax.
Kalla, moreover, explained that the tax amnesty is still discussed in the cabinet.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), meanwhile, earlier rejected the government’s plan to award tax amnesty. Similar rejection was also voiced by watchdog groups like the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA) and the so-called Forum Pajak Berkeadilan (FPB). They said the tax amnesty is an unfair policy and contra-productive. (haryantosuharman@yosefardi.com)