Officials to be questioned over fishy levy collection<\/p>\n
TANGERANG (JP): The regency office will soon question
\nofficials of a local fishery agency in connection with an 8
\npercent levy it collected from fishermen selling fish at Surya
\nBahari village's fish auction market in Pakuhaji district.<\/p>\n
The Tangerang Regency Office spokesman, Slamet Putranto, said
\non Saturday that his office would also soon order the agency to
\nimmediately hand over the management of the market to a
\ncooperative unit run by the fishermen.<\/p>\n
\"The management of the fish auction market at Surya Bahari has
\nbeen officially provided to the fishermen's Mina Samudra
\ncooperative unit as stipulated in a decree issued by the regent
\nbased on a decree issued by the West Java governor and another
\none signed by three related ministers,\" Slamet said.<\/p>\n
\"The fishery agency does not have the authority to stop the
\nfishermen's cooperative unit managing the market,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, representatives of some 1,000 local
\nfishermen in the area claimed they had been force to pay an 8
\npercent levy to \"hoodlums\" for every transaction they made at the
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
According to fisherman Burhanuddin, 42, the auction market
\nserves at least 1,000 boats per day with a daily turnover of
\nbetween two and three million tons of fish.<\/p>\n
\"In the beginning, we hoped our cooperative unit would help us
\neliminate this kind of levy. But what happened is that we still
\ncan do nothing because the market is still run by the fishery
\nagency,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nasirudin, manager of the cooperative unit, said the business
\nunit had obtained decrees from the West Java governor and the
\nTangerang regent 10 months ago which allows them to take over the
\nmanagement of the market.<\/p>\n
\"Sadly to say, the agency still refuses to give it to us,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Spokesman Slamet promised his office would soon help solve the
\ncase.<\/p>\n
\"We'll probe the case and question the agency over its refusal
\nto hand over the market's management to the fishermen's
\ncooperative unit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Fishermen were told by the hoodlums that the levy was for the
\nprovincial government (1.5 percent), the regency's administration
\noffice (1.5 percent), operational costs (2 percent), sea accident
\ninsurance (2 percent) and saving schemes (1 percent), among other
\nthings.<\/p>\n
Slamet insisted he had no idea of what his office had done
\nwith its supposed share of the levy.<\/p>\n
\"We'll question the agency officials on the whereabouts of the
\nmoney collected from the levy and where all the money has gone,\"
\nhe said. (41\/bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/officials-to-be-questioned-over-fishy-levy-collection-1447893297",
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