Spatial Planning Agency revenue below target<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The City Spatial Planning Agency is unlikely to
\nmeet its target of Rp 71 billion (US$18.7 million) in revenue for
\nthe 1996\/1997 fiscal year, city councilors said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"It could probably meet only 80 percent of the target,\"
\nAmarullah Asbah, head of Commission C for city revenue said after
\na meeting with the agency yesterday.<\/p>\n
With only three months to go before the end of the fiscal
\nyear, the agency has collected only Rp 42.5 billion as of late
\nlast month, he said.<\/p>\n
Amarullah said that the significant drop in agency revenue
\nthis fiscal year was due to the nation's economic woes as well as
\nthe arduous processes involved in collecting levies.<\/p>\n
The councilor, however, gave no figures for last year's
\nrevenue.<\/p>\n
The revenue collected from the City Spatial Planning Agency is
\none of the major financial sources for the city administration,
\nwhich hoped to collect a total of Rp 2.97 trillion from various
\nsectors.<\/p>\n
The agency collects levies for services such as land
\nevaluation, land use information service, building permits,
\nregulation infringement and land use permits.<\/p>\n
\"The agency said many developers have failed to meet their
\nobligations to pay levies because many of their projects have
\nbeen postponed,\" Amarullah said.<\/p>\n
Besides the monetary crisis, the agency's complicated
\nprocedures had \"strangled\" levy collection, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The procedure to issue, for instance, a land use permit
\nusually takes more than two months, which makes people reluctant
\nto follow the rules.<\/p>\n
\"Whether they pay extra or the usual tariff, the service is
\nstill the same: slow.\"<\/p>\n
He urged the agency to get rid of the red tape and enhance
\nstaff professionalism to improve methods of revenue collection.<\/p>\n
\"There's already a City Bylaw No.11\/1996 which regulates the
\nagency's procedures for levy collection. If they followed the
\nrules properly, the agency would not have difficulty collecting
\nthe levies.<\/p>\n
\"It will be useless if they do not follow the rules and listen
\nto the public's concerns.\"<\/p>\n
Councilor Husni Bachrum, a member of Commission C for city
\nrevenue, shared his colleague's opinion.<\/p>\n
\"What is going on in the agency now is that they are not
\nactive in collecting the levies. They're only waiting for some
\ndevelopers to make mistakes for which they can charge the
\nbusinesspeople later with levies, which are considered 'fines'.<\/p>\n
\"How can they collect more revenue if they're just waiting for
\nsomebody to screw up a project? That's sad.\"<\/p>\n
Husni said if the agency wants to collect more money it must
\nimprove its performance by implementing a quick-and-easy service,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"By doing so, the agency would easily collect more levies and,
\nat the same time, people are satisfied with the services.\"<\/p>\n
The agency has come under fire in recent months because of
\nseveral land use violations, including breaches by businesses in
\nKemang and the construction of Hotel Mulia Senayan.<\/p>\n
Both cases involve serious land use violations, namely
\nconverting a green area into commercial sites and violating
\nheight regulations for high-rise buildings.<\/p>\n
\"I think there's no other way for the agency to increase the
\ncollection of levies except by improving the agency's performance
\nand management,\" Husni said. (edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/spatial-planning-agency-revenue-below-target-1447893297",
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