Strange exit tax

Strange exit tax

Indonesians and foreigners with a KITAS (temporary stay)_
permit who want to travel abroad are subject to an "exit levy" of
one million rupiah (US$111). Although there are almost no
countries on this planet that require their residents to comply
with such a strange regulation, Indonesia keeps on taxing its
traveling residents. Even stranger is the fact that when I
finished my employment contract and went to Soekarno-Hatta
airport with a (costly) "exit permit only" (EPO) stamped in my
passport, I still had to pay this exit tax.

I did not work in Indonesia anymore, nor was I resident of
Jakarta, but still I was forced to pay an amount that equals the
price of a return flight to Singapore. Naturally I tried to get
an explanation for this final payment to the Indonesian treasury.
However, Indonesian Immigration officials are obviously too
important to explain such matters to ordinary people. There was
only one friendly female immigration officer who admitted that
many people had asked her this question, but she had no clue why
-- even in this case -- exit tax should be paid.

Therefore I would like to ask the Indonesian immigration
authorities to step down from their pedestal and explain to an
ex-KITAS holder why there still is a levy such as fiskal (exit
levy) and why you still have to pay it, even when your KITAS has
already been terminated.

A.J. BRANDT

Jakarta