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Finance Ministry talks taxes with elementary school students
Low tax awareness is one of the reasons why tax payment in Indonesia remains among the lowest in Southeast Asia as the people still consider it an obligation rather than a civic duty.
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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani teaches six grade students at SD Kenari 01 elementary school in Central Jakarta on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, about her role as well as the importance of paying tax. (JP/Eisya A. Eloksari)
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ow tax awareness is one of the reasons why tax payment in Indonesia remains among the lowest in Southeast Asia as the people still consider it an obligation rather than a civic duty.
Promoting tax awareness takes a long time as it is part of an educational process that should start at an early age.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani visited Kenari 01 state elementary school in Central Jakarta on Nov. 4 to speak to sixth grade students about the importance of taxes for building schools, hospitals and other public facilities as part of the Finance Ministry Teach program to improve tax awareness across the country.
She also led a role-playing game in which the children took on the role of ministers. A taxation director general was appointed to collect taxes from her classmates and report to the finance minister, who must then distribute the funds to other “departments” for their proposed projects.
"I didn’t get enough money. I need to build another hospital," said a student-turned-health minister.
The finance minister looked confused and then decided to collect another round of taxes from his peers, so the ministries would have enough money for their programs.
"Was it easy deciding to whom the money should go?" Sri Mulyani asked the student who had taken on her role as finance minister.
