Brokers to get last turn

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta administration will give priority to people who pay their vehicle taxes by themselves rather than using agents, brokers or other middlemen in a bid to serve the public better, an official says.

Fauzie Alvi Yasin, the head of the City Revenue Office, said on Wednesday that he made such a policy to enhance the newly- launched one-hour-service arrangement.

Fauzie said that agents, brokers and middlemen will get their service after 2 p.m., referring to hundreds of middlemen who swarm the Vehicle Documents Service Office (Samsat) every day.

The Jakarta administration started to simplify the procedure to pay vehicle taxes and to renew vehicle documents at the Samsat office on Oct. 1.

It said that this will encourage the public to handle the job themselves and avoid middlemen because of its one-hour service, which turned out to be a failure.

Fauzie admitted that red tape and corruption among public servants had hampered the one-hour-service program, discouraging the public to go to the Samsat office and complete the job themselves.

Last month Fauzie said that the new measures include the abolishment of a Rp 2,000 fee for registration forms, a Rp 6,000 for the license plates of two-wheeled vehicles and Rp 8,000 for car license plates.

The one-hour-service was launched after the number of counters at the Samsat office was reduced from five to three. (09)