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Tax amnesty fails to boost taxpayer numbers
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Taxpayers consult with tax officers as they apply for the tax amnesty at the East Java Tax Office II in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Aug. 8, 2016. (Antara Photo/Umarul Faruq)
T
he first and second round of the tax amnesty, which ended Dec. 31, 2016, have not significantly increased the number of taxpayers, according to data from the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Taxation.
In 2016 the number of new taxpayers reached only 3.05 million, compared to 2.73 million in 2015 and 2.66 million in 2014.
The figure is smaller than the number of additional taxpayers following the sunset policy program between 2008 and 2009 as the total number of taxpayers reached 15.74 million in 2009 from 10.29 million in the previous year.
(Read also: More than 5,000 taxpayers take part in second round of tax amnesty)
The total number of taxpayers currently was 35.83 million, according to the tax office as reported by tribunnews.com on Friday.
Directorate General of Taxation’s compliance director Yon Asral said the government's policy on taxation might affect the number of taxpayers. “The government has increased the income ceiling for those who do not need to pay taxes,” he added.
In addition, there were still many people who had not obtained a tax identification number (NPWP), Yon added.
Although the amnesty had failed to boost the number of taxpayers, the tax office now had a more complete taxpayer database, particularly on assets owned by large taxpayers, Yon said.
The tax amnesty is now in its third round, which will end on March 31. (bbn)
