Tax Chief Urges No 'Stirring' Over Military and Police Involvement in Tax Affairs

Director General of Taxes Bimo Wijayanto has stressed that the involvement of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri), including village supervisory officers, in the process of monitoring taxpayers as outlined in a recent circular should not be turned into a polemic. According to him, this policy has been in effect since 2020 and the newly issued circular is merely a refinement of existing regulations. The circular was intended only for internal distribution within the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP). He expressed hope that no party would make the circular a source of controversy or ‘stir things up’. ‘So once again, this internal DJP circular does not need to be polemicised or stirred up. It is just coordination. We are cooperating with village supervisory non-commissioned officers and community security and order officers. Village officials coordinate with us, not execute the narrative. This is a refinement,’ he explained after the APBN KiTa press conference, as quoted on Wednesday (22/7/2026). He further asserted that Babinsa and Bhabinkamtibmas are involved only as support for coordination, not as the primary tool for monitoring taxpayers. He assured that the DJP already possesses more sophisticated instruments. ‘Our main weapons are already more advanced. We use CRM (Compliance Risk Management) machines, geo-tagging reservations, and Coretax,’ he stated. The statement follows the circulation of Circular Letter Number SE-8/PJ/2026 concerning Guidelines for Taxpayer Compliance Supervision. The letter confirms that the DJP maintains several conventional monitoring methods, including visitations, area sweeps, direct observation, and the development of information networks involving Babinsa and Bhabinkamtibmas.