Govt imposes tax on refugee aid

Govt imposes tax on refugee aid

AMBON, Maluku: Maluku acting governor Sinyo Harry Sarundayang
denied embezzling part of the financial aid earmarked for
refugees in the province, saying the government had imposed no
levies, but only tax on funds allocated for the construction of
low-cost houses.

"It is not true that local authorities have embezzled a part
of the financial assistance allocated for refugees as many people
have alleged," Antara quoted him as saying on Monday.

Sarundayang conceded that the government had cut Rp 45,000
(US$5) from every Rp 3,000,000 distributed to each refugee family
for construction materials, so that each family received Rp
2,955,000.

"So far, both the provincial administration and the central
government have provided a total of Rp 10 million in aid for each
refugee family to build a low-cost house," he said.

There are still around 6,000 refugees at the naval base in
Halong, who have not received the funds. They are part of the
approximately 750,000 people displaced by the sectarian conflict
between Muslim and Christian groups in the province between 1999
and 2002. Around 6,000 people were killed in the conflict. --
Antara