Tax officials to improve proficiency

JAKARTA (JP): The Directorate General of Tax, in cooperation with the vaunted Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States, yesterday started training 35 of its officials to investigate financial frauds.

Director General of Taxes Fuad Bawazier said at the opening of the two-week training course here that the course is aimed at improving tax investigators' skills in probing financial manipulations.

According to its budget plan for the 1994-95 fiscal year, which began April 1, the government expects to take in some Rp 34.81 trillion (US$16.25 billion) in tax receipts, 23 percent higher than the Rp 28.2 trillion estimated for the 1993-94 fiscal year.

The training will focus on advancing investigative techniques on financial fraud, improving interviewing skills, compiling information and analyzing tax literature. The subjects to be discussed include money laundering, domestic and international banking, indirect methods to verify incomes, and net worth calculation and documentation.

The instructors include Elwyn Hildum and Kent Marcum of the IRS and some recent graduates of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center of the United States. (icn)