Councilors, YLKI query resumption of TV tax

Councilors, YLKI query resumption of TV tax

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors and the Indonesian Consumers
Foundation (YLKI) have strongly questioned the justification for
state-owned television station TVRI to resume collecting fees
from television owners in Greater Jakarta later this month.

Councilor Rusjdi Hamka of the United Development Party (PPP)
said yesterday few people were willing to pay the fee because
they preferred to watch the other five, private, television
stations.

"The private television stations always have better programs,
including news reports, films and other feature programs, and all
of them are free," said Rusjdi, who is also the City Council's
deputy speaker.

PPP faction chairman Achmad Suaidy said the fee, which was
stopped in 1995, was intended to finance improvements to the
quality of TVRI's programs.

"Without significant improvement of its programs, it's natural
if people think that it is just wasting money to pay the fee,"
said Suaidy.

The fee used to be Rp 1,000 a month.

YLKI chairwoman Tini Hadad said people had filed complaints
about the fees to the foundation.

"The public are questioning whether there are legal grounds
for TVRI to do so," said Tini yesterday.

People, she said, were reluctant to pay the fee because they
did not know whether the fee was a tax for their television set
or for watching TVRI.

"The fee can't be a tax because people have already paid the
tax when buying the television set. If the fee was for watching
the programs, it would not be fair to those who did not watch
TVRI at all," Tini said.

Besides, she said, there had been no improvement in TVRI's
programs.

"In fact, they're getting worse," Tini said.

Announcement

TVRI, via its news broadcasts, has announced recently that
TVRI personnel accompanied by security guards -- all in their
uniforms -- will visit houses in Jakarta and its surrounding area
to collect the television fees.

The station based its mission on a presidential decree issued
in 1990 on collecting television fees.

The decree, however, does not clearly describe the terms of
punishment against those who refuse to pay because it only
emphasizes public awareness.

Thus, according to Tini, a law that allows someone or an
institution to collect public fees could be called legal only if
it has received public support through the local council or House
of Representatives.

"If it has a legal basis, I'm sure people will agree to pay,"
she said, urging TVRI to propose a legal basis for the collection
of the fee.

In its announcement last week, TVRI said that it would also
deploy members of Bakorstanasda Jaya, the city branch of the
Agency for Coordinating Defense and National Stability, to
accompany TVRI personnel to collect the fees.

The plan, however, immediately sparked public protests. People
worried that the presence of Bakorstanasda personnel, who are
Armed Forces members, would only be used as a means to threaten
people to pay.

"YLKI opposed the involvement of Bakorstanasda in the
collection of the fee. The security approach is no longer
necessary. Bakorstanasda's involvement is not proportional and
could lead to new problems," Tini said. (ste/bsr)