Finance Minister Purbaya Jokes About Cutting Tax Officials' Salaries, Highlights Allowance Disparities

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has highlighted the existence of income disparities among employees within the Ministry of Finance, particularly between those at the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) and other directorates.

According to Purbaya, the differences do not stem from base salaries but from allowance components, which are substantially higher at the DJP compared to other units, even within the Ministry of Finance itself.

He admitted to being quite surprised by the extent of the disparity.

“Tax officials give the first impression of ‘I’m higher up’. Because their salaries are higher,” he said.

He then joked about two options to address the disparity, namely reducing tax officials’ allowances or increasing allowances for employees in other units.

“Do we cut or do we raise the others? There are two choices, we equalise, either we cut the tax officials or we raise everyone else,” he said with a chuckle.

Beyond the disparity issue, Purbaya also emphasised that the performance of the DJP and the Directorate General of Customs and Excise is currently a primary concern for President Prabowo Subianto, particularly in terms of optimising state revenue.

“We are under scrutiny by our top leadership on taxes and customs,” he said.

He noted that improvements in the customs sector are beginning to show positive results, while in the tax sector, the government is preparing several strategic measures to ensure that national revenue targets remain on track.

He also urged the ranks of the Ministry of Finance, particularly in the DJP and Customs and Excise, to continue improving performance amid demands for revenue optimisation.