Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan is the first high-ranking official to submit his annual tax return form (SPT) to the tax authority, a tradition often seen each year as a gesture from the government to encourage taxpayers to do the same. 

Jonan said he spent an hour filling in his 2017 SPT before submitting it to tax officers at his office in Central Jakarta on Monday morning.

He said he had to pay attention to several details on the form as he wanted to report his other sources of income aside from his regular salary. 

“Filling [in the SPT] form is easy because ministers receive small incomes. However, we sometimes receive different kinds of honorariums in small amounts, so [process may] take longer,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Based on his tax number (NPWP), Jonan is registered as an individual taxpayer at the South Jakarta 2 Region’s tax office.

Jonan urged all his officials and employees and all taxpayers to submit their SPTs, saying that the tax office now allows them to do so online.

“I filled it [the SPT form] electronically. I started using the electronic [form] last year,” he said.

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The Finance Ministry’s Tax Directorate General has set March 31 as the deadline for SPT submissions from individual taxpayers, while businesses and other institutions may submit their forms before the end of April. (gda)