Entrepreneurs want levies on roadside traders abolished
Entrepreneurs want levies on roadside traders abolished
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Small and Medium-
Sized Entrepreneurs (KUKMI) has demanded that the Jakarta
administration stop collecting levies from sidewalk vendors in
the capital unless they want to see the outbreak of more riots
like those that rocked the city in May.
The association's chairman, Prya Ramadhani, said levies were
collected by city officials under various pretexts, including
sanitation and security, and unfairly burdened street traders
during the current hardships.
The Golkar-affiliated organization estimated that officials
collect at least Rp 2.5 million (US$227.30) a day from roadside
vendors in the capital's five mayoralties.
Ramadhani said the city is home to at least 500,000 sidewalk
traders. Every day each trader has to pay between Rp 1,500 and Rp
5,000 to city officials.
"I have sent letters to the city authorities complaining about
those who impose levies on impoverished traders and they said
that no instruction to collect money from traders had ever been
issued by the governor or his deputies.
"It's only certain lower-ranking city officials who have taken
it upon themselves to do the job," Prya said on Thursday.
He asked the city authorities to immediately end the practice
because the vendors are suffering badly at the hands of the
economic crisis.
Riots
"If the authorities do not pay attention to the fate of these
vendors, I think there will be more riots similar to those that
occurred in May because small businessmen will reach breaking
point soon and will be unable to tolerate the practice any
longer," he said.
According to Prya, officials collecting levies told vendors
that they came from subdistrict offices, district offices and
mayoralty offices in the city. Some security officers were also
involved in the practice, he added.
Gubernatorial Decree No. 134/1998 stipulates that 10 kinds of
levies applicable to sidewalk vendors, including fees charged for
site permits, have been canceled.
Prya said that he had instructed vendors to refuse to pay the
levies from now on.
"I suggest traders resist all attempts at coercion, even if
officials try to force them to pay" he said. (ivy)