City proposes bills to increase revenue

JAKARTA (JP): The administration has proposed two draft bills to the City Council to replace provincial decree No. 9/1985 on fees of various services provided by its agencies and decrees on the city label fee, a councilor said.

The deputy chairman of the City Council's Commission C for financial affairs, Amarullah Asbah, said yesterday that the bills are being reviewed by the commission.

Amarullah said the main purposes of the new decrees are to increase city revenue as well as cope with public demand for quick services.

Amarullah said the bill on the city's label fee stipulates that the public must pay Rp 5,000 (US$2.17) for a label, an increase from Rp 500.

The label is issued by the city administration on services which have not yet been regulated by provincial decree.

Such a label is affixed to, among other things, birth certificates.

He said the administration also plans to increase fees for those requiring services for city planning, mapping, public works, underground utility system, street lights, parks and data processing services. The new fees are up to 500 percent higher than the current ones.

Amarullah said services for the city utility system and street lights are new.

He said currently, the city utility system is stipulated by a gubernatorial decree which is not enough to manage projects conducted by private or state-owned companies.

"The service is aimed at controlling and synchronizing excavation projects in the city," he said.

It is widely known that excavation projects in the city are not well-organized and in some areas have caused traffic jams and polluted streets, he said.

Amarullah also said the decision to create a new service in providing street lights was made because of public demands. Many people have been asking the administration to supply street lights in their neighborhoods, he said.

However, the city administration cannot fulfill their demands because most of the areas are not yet included in the city's street light program, he said.

When asked if such a regulation could cause delays in the city administration's street light program in certain areas, Amarullah said the public must believe in the city administration.

"Don't think that way. The service is aimed at helping the public," he said. (yns)