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Govt considers excise on concert tickets
A senior Finance Ministry official said “Indonesian people are actually quite rich” given that concert tickets were frequently sold out in the country and claimed that many people even went overseas to attend international concerts.
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This photo taken on Dec. 26, 2017, shows rock band Slank performing during the Big Bang Slank Music Concert in Jakarta.
(AFP/Dedi Mulyadi)
T
he Finance Ministry is considering introducing a new excise on concert tickets and other goods as part of broader effort to collect more revenue, but experts and businesses have warned that such a move would hurt the live music industry and potentially reduce the cultural value it is trying to preserve.
The idea was first revealed when the ministry’s customs and excise directorate general (DJBC) senior official Iyan Rubiyanto was speaking in a public lecture at the Polytechnic of State Finance (STAN) on July 19.
“Indonesian people are actually quite rich” given that concert tickets are frequently sold out in the country, he said, claiming that many people even went overseas to attend concerts such as those held in Singapore.
However, he refrained from divulging further details and stressed that the ministry is still studying the plan.
His presentation material also revealed that the ministry is considering an excise for other goods as well, including fast food, smartphones and housing. He pointed out that the ministry could also introduce excises on “rich people hobbies” including golf.
The list in his presentation extends further while also mentioning coal, a tissue and a detergent as potential targets, each with its own reason to back the imposition of an excise.
The lecture was broadcasted live on YouTube, but the video was taken down from the platform after the discussion ended up causing controversy in public.
