Hoax: Bahlil to impose tax on mobile phone users starting 2027

A Facebook post featuring a photo of Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia falsely claims that mobile phone users will be taxed starting in 2027. The post also links the claim to the issue of taxes on boreholes or water pumps. It has garnered over a thousand comments from Facebook users.

The narrative in the post reads: ‘BAHLIL: STARTING 2027 MOBILE PHONE USERS WILL ALSO BE TAXED! The Sanyo pump tax regulation has not even been finalised, yet a new plan has already emerged!’

However, a fact-check reveals the photo of Bahlil Lahadalia in the post is identical to one from a Metro TV news report discussing fuel oil import policy. In that report, the minister stressed that the government would not open additional fuel imports for private petrol stations, explaining that fuel import policy remains under government control while private stations can collaborate with Pertamina for fuel supply. There was no statement from Bahlil regarding any plan to tax mobile phone users.

Furthermore, there has been no official statement from Bahlil Lahadalia or the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources concerning a plan to tax mobile phone users starting in 2027. Therefore, the claim is false.