The increased scrutiny on tax officials comes after Mario Dandy Satrio, son of tax official Rafael Alun Trisambodo, was arrested last week after allegedly assaulting a minor. Photos and videos of Mario’s extravagant lifestyle, and his father’s Rp 56 billion (US$3.6 million) in reported wealth, came to light in the following days, raising questions about where the money had come from.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which investigated Rafael from 2015 to 2018, has launched another probe into his wealth. For his part, Rafael has said he will cooperate with any investigation and, on Wednesday morning, answered the KPK’s summons to clarify his wealth report.

Public outrage

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani relieved Rafael of his official duties last week, but this has not quelled public outrage at the Taxation Directorate General. The hashtag #PajakKitaUntukPejabat (our taxes go to officials) surfaced last week on Twitter, and the finance minister has implored the public not to boycott their tax obligations this year as criticism continues to mount.

“Our post-pandemic economic recovery and the infrastructure we built using the state budget all came from taxes,” said Sri Mulyani.

Popular

Why EV makers choose Vietnam, not nickel-rich Indonesia

Govt banks on Rp 500t inflows to international financial center

No short-cut for 100 GW renewable ambition