Jakarta needs its billboards

Jakarta needs its billboards

From Bisnis Indonesia

Jakarta has become less attractive ever since the city administration announced a 200 percent hike in taxes for billboards and name boards recently.

Many owners have removed their billboards and name boards from high-rise buildings following the announcement of the tax hike to avoid higher taxes. This is because the higher the billboards and name boards are, the higher the taxes get. The removal of the billboards and name boards has affected the face of Jakarta, especially at night, when billboards and name boards used to add a glow to the capital with their colorful lights. In fact, colorful billboards and name boards are one of the characteristics of a metropolis. Even Governor Surjadi Soedirdja stated after a recent trip to Paris that he intended to make Jakarta as lively as Paris at night.

In line with the governor's intention, I propose that the city administration at least waive the taxes on name boards on hotels and office buildings. In my opinion, name boards are not advertising because they give information, and are not a promotion vehicle.

Certain name boards, such as the one installed in front of Hotel Indonesia or on top of President Hotel, also serve as billboards because they promote the hotels' activities. However, if the hotels decide to discontinue their promotions because of the high taxes, the city administration will be affected. The reason is simple: Without promotion, the public are not informed about the hotels' special activities and will therefore not attend these special activities. This in turn will affect the hotels' income and in return the city administration's income from development and income taxes.

HIMAWAN

South Jakarta