Parking operators unaware of new law<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Parking operators said Saturday they were not aware of a new city
\nbylaw which requires them to pay up to 20 percent of their total
\nincome to the city administration.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta City Council passed the bylaw last Thursday,
\ndoubling the current tax rate. It is expected to earn the
\nadministration Rp 24 billion (US$2.6 million) a year from 420
\nparking locations, comprising 124,470 individual parking spaces:
\n90,544 for cars and 35,926 for motorcycles.<\/p>\n
The manager of PT Securindo Packatama Indonesia's Plaza
\nSenayan parking lot in Central Jakarta, Mahdi, said he was aware
\nof the negotiations but not the finalized tax rate.<\/p>\n
"I do not know if they have reached any agreement to require
\nus to give the city administration 20 percent of our income.<\/p>\n
"But I know that there were already several meetings with the
\nadministration which involved our company and several business
\nassociations," Mahdi told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Similar comments were aired by Charles, the manager of the
\ncompany's parking lot at Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"I don't know anything about the 20 percent tax. You should
\ncontact our head office on Monday," he told the Post.<\/p>\n
"I just take care of the day-to-day operations here."<\/p>\n
Mahdi said there were 7,000 to 8,000 vehicles using the
\nparking lot daily during weekdays.<\/p>\n
"The number is even higher on weekends. It can reach 11,000 to
\n12,000 vehicles."<\/p>\n
He said the average number of vehicles parked at Plaza
\nIndonesia was between 4,000 to 5,000 cars.<\/p>\n
Mahdi said that he did not know whether the company would
\nincrease parking charges to compensate for the 20 percent tax. "I
\nhaven't heard anything from my company's head office," he said.<\/p>\n
Council spokesman Muhayat said that the City Parking Body
\nwould monitor the new bylaw to prevent any parking operators from
\nraising charges.<\/p>\n
Residents have long complained they do not get real security
\nwhen they park their cars in parking lots in the city, which are
\nmostly operated by PT Securindo Packatama under its brand name
\nSecure Parking.<\/p>\n
The company led parking operators in ignoring a gubernatorial
\ndecree, which stipulated a parking fee of Rp 1,000 per hour.
\nFollowing strong public complaints and warnings from the city
\nadministration, the company, however, reduced its fees in
\naccordance with the decree in May 2000.<\/p>\n
Muhayat said the 20 percent tax was set by city councillors
\nand officials.<\/p>\n
The bylaw will be followed by another decree which will
\nfunction as a guidelines for its implementation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parking-operators-unaware-of-new-law-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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