Govt speeds up tax amnesty

JAKARTA. Until the fourth day of the second phase of tax amnesty program, government only collected IDR90.57 billion of redemption fees.

Data from Directorate General of Taxation showed that the first phase of tax amnesty generated a total amount of IDR97.2 trillion of revenues, consist of IDR93.8 trillion of redemption fees and IDR31.26 billion of repatriated funds, as well as other revenues.

Directorate General of Taxation Ken Dwijugasteadi said that until the end of tax amnesty’s first period  only 422,392 of 10.16 million of taxpayers participated in the program.

Ken said that government has prepared some strategies to pursue the target of tax amnesty.

In the second phase of the tax amnesty program, government targets to increase the revenues from the segment of micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM). As a part of the strategies, today (5/10) Directorate General of Taxation will hold a meeting with Communication Forum of Small and Micro Enterprises to socialize the program.

In the second phase of tax amnesty, government imposes a 0.5% redemption fees for a lower than IDR10 billion of assets, and 2% redemption fees for above of IDR10 billion of assets to UMKM segment.

However, government will still pursue private and non-UMKM corporate sectors in the second phase of the program.

Deputy Chairman of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Suryadi Sasmita said that not all major taxpayers, who participated in the first phase of tax amnesty, have reported all of their assets. In this case, some conglomerates will settle their assets estimation to participate the second and third phases of tax amnesty.

Suryadi added that most of entrepreneurs just declared 70% of their total assets. He is even optimistic that the entrepreneurs will contribute IDR10 trillion of  revenues during the second and third periods of tax amnesty.

Director of Potential, Obedience, and Revenue at Directorate General of Taxation Yon Arsal said that tax authority will focus on increasing tax revenues from all segments.

As of September 2016, number of tax revenues just amounted IDR792 trillion of IDR1,355.2 trillion of tax revenues target.

In order to meet the target, tax authority will optimize regular tax collection by auditing taxpayers, mainly those who did not participate in tax amnesty. Yon is optimistic that the combination of regular tax and tax amnesty revenues will significantly contribute to the tax revenues achievement.

(Muhammad Farid/Translator)