Govt launches campaign logo for tax amnesty

JAKARTA. The government has launched a campaign logo for the tax amnesty, which the House of Representatives passed into law a day ago, as part of its effort to encourage affluent Indonesians with assets stored abroad to move them back into Indonesia.

The logo, designed by the Finance Ministry's directorate general for taxation, features a flying golden bird and the amnesty's tagline: "Reveal, redeem, relieve."

"The golden bird represents assets flying back into the country," said taxation directorate general spokesman Hestu Yoga Saksama on the sidelines of the press conference, adding that the bird also symbolized faithfulness as it would always come back home no matter how far it went.

The bird is styled like origami to express the tax office's hopes that the tax amnesty will run well, reminiscent of the Japanese belief that making a thousand origami cranes will make a wish come true.

The government expects the law to be enacted on July 1, and hopes that it will help repatriate Rp 165 trillion (US$12.31 billion) parked abroad. They are offering tax breaks to individuals and companies who declare and transfer their currently untaxed wealth to Indonesia. (Prima Wirayani)