Govt to launch national taxation census

JAKARTA. The government is set to launch a national taxation census within the next three months in a move to boost the country's tax revenue.

Finance Ministry director general for taxation Fuad Rahmany said Tuesday that the census was aimed at netting more taxpayers and discovering new sources of tax revenue.

"We're now making the preparations, and will probably launch the census within the next two or three months," Fuad said during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing banking, development planning and financial affairs.

He explained that the census would be done in stages over two years, and involved 299 regional branches of his office across the archipelago.

Fuad said the move was needed to maximize Indonesia's tax revenue, citing only 7.7 percent of the country's potential individual taxpayers and 3.6 percent of its potential company taxpayers paid taxes. (Erwida Maulia/The Jakarta Post)