Be ready to dig deeper into your pocket when you want to have a sauna, go to the karaoke, get a massage, attend a fashion show or a beauty contest, or to play billiard starting from next month in Jakarta. When the City Council approves the revision of 11 bylaws this month, you are required to pay up to 75 percent of entertainment tax.
The bylaw revision covers tax on automotives, vehicle ownership change, parking fees and on entertainment. Governor Fauzi Bowo is obliged to propose the changes as the consequence of the implementation of the 2009 Law on Regional Tax and Levy.
Just look at the following examples: Now perhaps you pay Rp 100,000 (US$11) for a one-hour massage. Next month you must pay another Rp 75,000 just for the tax. The total payment is Rp 175,000. Naturally you are also expected to tip.
Next: You want to drink beer at a night club. Say the price is Rp 30,000 per bottle. In June the price will be Rp 52,500. For parking your car, Governor Fauzi Bowo will also increase the tariff. So if now the parking fee per hour is Rp 2,000, next month the minimum payment will be at least Rp 2,200.
Going to cinema? The current ticket price is Rp 50,000. But another 35 percent charge will be imposed on top of that. Meanwhile automotive tax will also have a 10 percent hike.
What will Jakartans get in return from the city authorities? Governor Fauzi has repeatedly promised to improve public transportation and infrastrucure such as roads. Of course, the governor will also assure Jakartans that their tax payment will be used in a responsible way in accordance with the law and that not a single cent of their money will be abused.
The deliberation of the City Council came to surface amid intensive media reports on the rampant abuse of power by the officials at the Director General of Taxation, where a junior tax official Gayus Tambunan collected billions of rupiah for his own pocket in close ”cooperation” with various law enforcers such as prosecutors, police officers, lawyers and even judges.
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But corrupt officials also need mercy from our judges. As reported by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, former Golkar legislator Hamka Yandhu tearfully begged a panel of judges at the Corruption Court to punish him at most one year in prison.
Hamka persuaded the judges to be more lenient on him becuase he had contributed to many good things for the people during his term as a lawmaker. “I request the lighest verdict – a maximum of one year [in prison],” Hamka wooed the judges. Many hope, however, that the judges will not be cheated by “crocodile tears”.
On the same day, this newspaper also reported the myseries of two women who lost their sons 12 years ago, when anti-riot forces opened fire at Trisakti University students when the students held a street protest outside their West Jakarta campus to demand the resignation of then president Soeharto on May 12, 1998. Four Trisakti students were killed, but those who were responsible for their tragedy remain free men.
Tetty, the mother of Elang Mulya Lesmana, also lost her husband who tragically died after suffering from severe depression after losing their son. Karsiah, the mother of Hendriawan Sie, should also faced a painful experience. Her husband left her after their son’s death, apparently because he wanted to have a new life with a new family.
Meanwhile at least until Friday, there was still no strong signal from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that he would take strong measures to stop the brouhahaha at the National Police. Police generals are quarrelling among themselves and accusing each other as being crooks. Many Indonesians hope that he will sack the generals whose names were linked in bribery cases. But apparently he still cannot do enough to clean up the messy police institution.
***
Two founding members of ASEAN, the Philippines and Thailand, demonstrated two contradictory shows to the world. Benigno Aquino, the son of former president Corry Aquino and Senator Ninoy Aquino, won the Philippines’ presidential election Tuesday. The 50-year-old senator reportedly won the hearts of the Filipinos not because of his impressive track record but more because of their deep affection for his mother Corry, who passed away last August, and his father Ninoy, who was killed by troops loyal to president Ferdinand Marcos in 1983.
Previously there was high fears that the election would be marred by violence. The country is no stranger to violence during elections. But Filippino voters proved that they were civilized citizens of the world. They have high expectations that Benigno Aquino can take them and their country to a much more prosperous, peaceful and democratic condition.
Thailand is facing a serious threat of becoming a failed state as the nation is getting closer to a ”civil war”. The supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra refused to end their long occupation of Bangkok’s main areas, although PM Abhisit Vejjajiva had agreed to hold new elections before the end of this year.
Thailand is not only on the brink of economic and political collapse, the prolonged political upheaval in the country also takes Thailand closer to the status of other ruleless states in Africa.
— Kornelius Purba
The bylaw revision covers tax on automotives, vehicle ownership change, parking fees and on entertainment. Governor Fauzi Bowo is obliged to propose the changes as the consequence of the implementation of the 2009 Law on Regional Tax and Levy.
Just look at the following examples: Now perhaps you pay Rp 100,000 (US$11) for a one-hour massage. Next month you must pay another Rp 75,000 just for the tax. The total payment is Rp 175,000. Naturally you are also expected to tip.
Next: You want to drink beer at a night club. Say the price is Rp 30,000 per bottle. In June the price will be Rp 52,500. For parking your car, Governor Fauzi Bowo will also increase the tariff. So if now the parking fee per hour is Rp 2,000, next month the minimum payment will be at least Rp 2,200.
Going to cinema? The current ticket price is Rp 50,000. But another 35 percent charge will be imposed on top of that. Meanwhile automotive tax will also have a 10 percent hike.
What will Jakartans get in return from the city authorities? Governor Fauzi has repeatedly promised to improve public transportation and infrastrucure such as roads. Of course, the governor will also assure Jakartans that their tax payment will be used in a responsible way in accordance with the law and that not a single cent of their money will be abused.
The deliberation of the City Council came to surface amid intensive media reports on the rampant abuse of power by the officials at the Director General of Taxation, where a junior tax official Gayus Tambunan collected billions of rupiah for his own pocket in close ”cooperation” with various law enforcers such as prosecutors, police officers, lawyers and even judges.
***
But corrupt officials also need mercy from our judges. As reported by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, former Golkar legislator Hamka Yandhu tearfully begged a panel of judges at the Corruption Court to punish him at most one year in prison.
Hamka persuaded the judges to be more lenient on him becuase he had contributed to many good things for the people during his term as a lawmaker. “I request the lighest verdict – a maximum of one year [in prison],” Hamka wooed the judges. Many hope, however, that the judges will not be cheated by “crocodile tears”.
On the same day, this newspaper also reported the myseries of two women who lost their sons 12 years ago, when anti-riot forces opened fire at Trisakti University students when the students held a street protest outside their West Jakarta campus to demand the resignation of then president Soeharto on May 12, 1998. Four Trisakti students were killed, but those who were responsible for their tragedy remain free men.
Tetty, the mother of Elang Mulya Lesmana, also lost her husband who tragically died after suffering from severe depression after losing their son. Karsiah, the mother of Hendriawan Sie, should also faced a painful experience. Her husband left her after their son’s death, apparently because he wanted to have a new life with a new family.
Meanwhile at least until Friday, there was still no strong signal from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that he would take strong measures to stop the brouhahaha at the National Police. Police generals are quarrelling among themselves and accusing each other as being crooks. Many Indonesians hope that he will sack the generals whose names were linked in bribery cases. But apparently he still cannot do enough to clean up the messy police institution.
***
Two founding members of ASEAN, the Philippines and Thailand, demonstrated two contradictory shows to the world. Benigno Aquino, the son of former president Corry Aquino and Senator Ninoy Aquino, won the Philippines’ presidential election Tuesday. The 50-year-old senator reportedly won the hearts of the Filipinos not because of his impressive track record but more because of their deep affection for his mother Corry, who passed away last August, and his father Ninoy, who was killed by troops loyal to president Ferdinand Marcos in 1983.
Previously there was high fears that the election would be marred by violence. The country is no stranger to violence during elections. But Filippino voters proved that they were civilized citizens of the world. They have high expectations that Benigno Aquino can take them and their country to a much more prosperous, peaceful and democratic condition.
Thailand is facing a serious threat of becoming a failed state as the nation is getting closer to a ”civil war”. The supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra refused to end their long occupation of Bangkok’s main areas, although PM Abhisit Vejjajiva had agreed to hold new elections before the end of this year.
Thailand is not only on the brink of economic and political collapse, the prolonged political upheaval in the country also takes Thailand closer to the status of other ruleless states in Africa.
— Kornelius Purba
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