Property tax collection issue takes new turn

Property tax collection issue takes new turn

JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor expressed disbelief yesterday
at the inspectorate's recent findings that most uncollected
revenues in the 1995/96 fiscal year were from property tax.

Amarullah Asbah, the secretary of the City Council's
Commission C for financial affairs, among other things, said the
finding meant property tax collection was a failure.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said Wednesday the inspectorate
found 91 percent of uncollected revenues to March, the end of the
fiscal year, were from property tax.

Amarullah said "according to the council's records the amount
of property tax collected in the last fiscal year exceeded the
target."

Citing commission data, he said the amount of collected
property tax in 1995/96 was Rp 251.19 billion. This was Rp 67.51
billion over the target.

If the inspectorate's finding was true the administration
should take proper action soon, he said

Governor Surjadi said the findings meant most Jakartans were
reluctant to pay tax, although the tax collection system was
appropriate.

647 findings

The inspectorate reported 647 cases from surveying 210
offices.

"Violation of regulations ranks first, with 29.51 percent,"
Surjadi said.

Surjadi said 630 of the 647 cases had been solved and the rest
were in process.

The governor said he received 330 letters.

"From the 330 letters, mostly reporting irregularities, 43.75
percent told the truth," Surjadi said.

He said the number of the letters had fallen sharply from
previous years.

He praised the quality of the reports. "The decreasing number
of the letters shows the community is now more selective and
rational in reporting cases."

From 330 letters, 97 were to P.O. Box 5000, an address
especially for complaints, and 233 were sent directly to the
governor.

Surjadi said 112 letters had been responded to which meant
those cases had been dealt with.

"Most of the reports were about power abuse and land
disputes," Surjadi said.

P.O. Box 5000 recorded 37 reports on power abuse and 12
reports on land disputes, while the governor got 48 reports on
power abuse and 45 on land disputes.

The Ministry of Home Affairs' Inspector General, Soedarjat
Nataatmadja, said Wednesday the findings would be reported to
related government offices. "The findings are not intended to
embarrass them." (ste)