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NGO to request judicial review of Tax Amnesty Law
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Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly (left), Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro (center) and House of Representatives Commission XI cahirman Ahmadi Noor Supit sign the tax amnesty bill at the House complex in Jakarta on June 27. The House approved the bill a day later. (thejakartapost.com/Anton Hermansyah)
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legal aid NGO plans to request a judicial review of the Tax Amnesty Law passed by the House of Representatives late last month, while the government is drafting the technicalities on the law’s implementation.
Several lawyers of the West-Java based Yayasan Satu Keadilan (YSK) – literally the One Justice Foundation) will file the motion with the Constitutional Court on Wednesday, YSK chairman Sugeng Teguh Santoso said on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the YSK, the Society of Indonesian People's Struggle (SPRI) and four individuals had organized a press conference to announce their demand of a review.
Critics argue the law breaches judicial principles by helping people involved in tax evasion get discounts as long as they repatriate their wealth from oversees.
Meanwhile, the government expects a tax revenue windfall of Rp 165 trillion (US$12.42 billion) from the tax amnesty, and government officials are working out the technical details for the law’s implementation.
Commenting on the judicial review motion, the chairman of House Commission XI, which oversees finance and banking, Ahmadi Noor Supit, asked protesters to give the government a chance to implement the law, as it was trying to resolve financial shortages.
"The government has initiated this bill and it holds the citizens' mandates, so we have to give them a chance," said Supit, admitting, however, that he was unsure whether the law would really help boost government revenue.
"This (the repatriation of assets) needs to be proved. The previous government didn’t dare to introduce such a policy," Supit added. (bbn)
