No fines imposed for overdue taxes

JAKARTA: The Jakarta Police will impose no fines on people whose driving licenses or vehicle registration documents are due between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6 when they apply for extensions in the following week.

"We will not impose fines because we realize that it's not the taxpayers' fault that their extensions are late. It's just that we are having a long holiday," city traffic police chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo said on Monday.

Djoko said that traffic police would give two-week grace period from Nov. 7 to Nov. 21 for car owners to pay their overdue taxes.

"If, during this period ,they don't take care of their vehicle registration, then we will fine them," he said.

Djoko added that Jakartans with just expired driving licenses would not be given tickets.

The Jakarta administration also announced that taxpayers whose taxes fall due during the coming holidays would not be required to pay fines.

"We exempt taxpayers from the obligation to pay any fines during the holiday from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8," City Revenue Agency head Agusman Badarudin told reporters at City Hall.

He said that among taxes included in the exemption were hotel and restaurant taxes, taxes for off-street parking businesses and vehicular taxes.

Meanwhile, city secretary Ritola Tasmaya said most city agencies that oversee day-to-day public services, would remain operational.

"The fire department, and the sanitation and health agencies will work in shifts," he said.