Letter: Departure tax

Mon, 10/13/2008 11:33 AM  |  Reader's Forum

The departure tax of Rp 1 million that has to be paid by Indonesians and foreigners living/working in Indonesia is a disgrace and a rip off.

It is said to be deductible for business people but how about people who have small or no income and save the whole year for that ticket?

Indonesians who live abroad can travel two times each year to Indonesia and do not have to pay the tax. Nice! However, if they stay more than 180 days, they also have to pay this tax. Isn't it a disgrace that one is "punished" for staying longer than 180 days in one's own country? Those, who can afford two trips per year have more recourses than those who can only afford, or are given, one ticket per year or every two years to visit relatives abroad. Rp 1 million is still a huge amount to average people to be paid on top of the airport tax of Rp. 100,000 for and the ticket.

I read that this tax could be abolished by 2010? Why not now? I think that no other country has such an unfair regulation for its citizens or foreign workers, hampering their travels abroad and on the other hand exempt those who live abroad from the tax. Also for small businesses this amount is a big burden.

By the way -- where does this money go?

SUHARTO
Tangerang

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Schmerly (not verified) — Tue, 10/14/2008 - 8:03am

Yes!! where does the money go? most of this nice little earner has been going into the pockets of corrupt immigration and government officials for years, and nobody seems to know exactly where it all goes, I once read in the JP about six million dollars a year is unaccounted for!! isn’t it time the corruption eradication commission looked into this scam?

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