Bali: Officials looking to crackdown on residence abuse
The large number of expatriates living in Bali with temporary stay permits (Kitas) could cause an increase in the number of permit violations, head of Ngurah Rai Airport's immigration office Jusuf Hadi has said, The Jakarta Post reported.
"The number of expatriates with Kitas is very high -- in my opinion, too high," Hadi said Wednesday.
In the airport immigration office's jurisdiction alone -- which covers Kuta, South Kuta and North Kuta -- there are at least 3,000 foreigners a year holding Kitas, he said.
The three districts constituted the area most favored by foreigners due to their abundant tourist facilities, including hotels and villas, where most foreigners work, he added.
A large number of Kitas holders in Bali have led to violations, especially by those running illegal private businesses, he said.
"This has raised the number of illegal businesses operated by foreigners. As they are illegal, they don't pay taxes and this causes the state to suffer huge losses," Hadi added.
Despite this, the immigration office cannot do much to control the problem because it only issues permits based on recommendations from related institutions, such as the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Education Ministry, he said.
"The number of expatriates with Kitas is very high -- in my opinion, too high," Hadi said Wednesday.
In the airport immigration office's jurisdiction alone -- which covers Kuta, South Kuta and North Kuta -- there are at least 3,000 foreigners a year holding Kitas, he said.
The three districts constituted the area most favored by foreigners due to their abundant tourist facilities, including hotels and villas, where most foreigners work, he added.
A large number of Kitas holders in Bali have led to violations, especially by those running illegal private businesses, he said.
"This has raised the number of illegal businesses operated by foreigners. As they are illegal, they don't pay taxes and this causes the state to suffer huge losses," Hadi added.
Despite this, the immigration office cannot do much to control the problem because it only issues permits based on recommendations from related institutions, such as the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Education Ministry, he said.