Forestry minister declares war against illegal levies

Forestry minister declares war against illegal levies

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo
issued Thursday an instruction to all provincial offices of his
ministry to fight against illegal levies in the forestry sector.

In his letter No. 1360/1997, issued on Wednesday, Djamaludin
instructed provincial forestry offices throughout Indonesia to
eliminate 14 illegal levies often imposed on forestry businesses.

"I have instructed all heads of provincial offices to
eliminate all illegal levies and charges, which have been
responsible for high costs in the industry," he told reporters.

He said the instruction letter was a follow-up of his
statement early this month that his ministry had found 16 illegal
levies in the forestry sector.

He revised that number to 14 as two other levies were those
under the jurisdiction of other ministries.

Most of the 14 illegal levies were imposed by officials from
provincial forestry offices when they made site inspections at
various forestry firms or when they issued official letters for
those firms.

Such illegal levies were common to speed up business processes
with the authorities, Djamaludin quoted some forestry companies
as saying.

"But I want to reiterate here that the Ministry of Forestry
should never impose any levy on timber companies to facilitate
permission for their activities," he said.

He stressed that there were only 11 legal levies outside taxes
imposed by his ministry, as stipulated by Government Regulation
No. 22/1997.

The 11 legal levies include a mandatory forest fee, a
concessions fee, a forest industry fee, a bamboo concession fee,
a rattan concession fee, a forest tourist fee and fees on tickets
for forest recreation, national parks, forest reservations and
marine recreation parks.

The other legal levies are fees on catching and delivering
unprotected wild animals and flora, on catching protected wild
animals and flora, and fines on violating forest exploitation
regulations and on violating forest utilization regulations.

Djamaludin also urged forestry companies and other players in
the forestry sector to report to his office any illegal levies
imposed.

"I will not hesitate to punish any forestry official who is
guilty of charging illegal levies to forestry companies," he
said. (08)