Customs senior official unaware of corruption report<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite damning allegations contained in a report alleging
\nrampant under-invoicing of import prices, a high-ranking customs
\nand excise officer said on Tuesday that he was unaware of the
\nreport, which claimed that trillions of rupiah in state losses
\nhad resulted from the practice.<\/p>\n
Erlangga Mantik, the customs service's director for revenue
\nand planning, said he had no knowledge of the report, and warned
\nthat any such report should be based on clear calculations.<\/p>\n
\"If there is such a report, it should be based on precise
\ncalculations,\" he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday on the
\nsidelines of a hearing between the House of Representatives
\nbudget committee and the government.<\/p>\n
He declined to comment further.<\/p>\n
The report was released last week by the chairman of
\nIndonesian Importers Association (GINSI), Amirudin Saud, and
\nclaimed that under-invoicing of import prices were costing the
\nstate the astonishing figure of Rp 40 trillion (some US$3.8
\nbillion) in losses every year.<\/p>\n
The huge losses came from lost import duties, value added tax
\nand income tax from non-oil imports.<\/p>\n
Given such a scale of losses, the report assumed that
\ncollusion between importers and custom officers must be taking
\nplace.<\/p>\n
Erlangga indicated that he was open for discussion by saying:
\n\"Anybody can say anything they want. As long as it is based on
\nreasonable data, then we'll be willing to look into the matter.
\nAnd then we will give a response to it.<\/p>\n
According to the latest data, the state received Rp 10
\ntrillion in import duties, value added tax and income tax from
\nnon-oil imports over the last three years.<\/p>\n
Ginsi claimed, however, that the country should have collected
\na total of Rp 153 trillion during this period.<\/p>\n
The huge losses to the state have sparked anger among
\nlegislators, with many of them calling on the customs service to
\nlaunch an investigation into the problem and bring the culprits
\nto justice.<\/p>\n
It has been an open secret for years that the customs and
\nexcise service is one of the country's most corrupt public
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
A world bank-sponsored report earlier this year agreed with
\nthe allegations, saying that the service was one of the
\ninstitutions in the country where corruption was widespread.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/customs-senior-official-unaware-of-corruption-report-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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