Highlighting Coretax Issues, Misbakhun: Don't Let Tax Ratio Become the Victim

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Chairman of Commission XI of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mukhamad Misbakhun, has highlighted several issues in the Coretax taxation system.

As a medium for the state’s strategic agenda, namely taxation, Misbakhun stressed that Coretax must not fail due to weak project management, design errors, or suboptimal oversight of programme implementation.

“Coretax is not a small project. It is the backbone of the state’s revenue system. If complaints about unfriendly design, unsynchronised business processes, and suboptimal system readiness emerge from the start, the government must not be defensive. This must be thoroughly dissected,” Misbakhun said in his official statement, quoted on Friday (27/3/2026).

Previously, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa acknowledged design errors and complexities in the Coretax system.

According to Misbakhun, this acknowledgement should serve as an entry point for major corrections, not just patchwork repairs that could prolong the problems.

“Tax digitalisation is not just about software. It is about changing the state’s way of working. If the change management is not ready, training is insufficient, and the transition is not well-designed, what happens is disruption to services, not reform,” he stated.

On the other hand, Misbakhun assessed that there would be several risks if the Coretax problems are not resolved promptly, such as disruption to state revenue performance and a decline in voluntary taxpayer compliance due to eroding trust in the system.

“We must not jeopardise the tax ratio just because the administrative system is not ready. If taxpayers face administrative difficulties, the effect can directly impact compliance. If that is disrupted, state revenue is also at risk,” he asserted.

Misbakhun also emphasised that the House of Representatives will not hesitate to fully utilise its oversight function to ensure the strategic project returns to the right track.

“Commission XI will certainly request a comprehensive explanation from the government. This is not about finding fault, but ensuring that tax reform does not deviate from its objectives. If something needs correction, it must be corrected. If something needs fixing, it must be fixed fundamentally,” he said.