Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Chief of the Presidential Staff Teten Masduki headed a meeting here on Tuesday on alleged scandals involving a number of Indonesian politicians and business leaders brought to light through leaked documents known as Panama Papers.
The meeting was attended by among others police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Agus Rahardjo, Taxation Director General Ken Dwijugiasteadi, head of the Reporting and Analysis Center of Financial Transactions (PPATK) Muhammad Yusuf and representatives of the Finance Ministry and Bank Indonesia.
According to the documents, there were hundreds of Indonesians having assets stashed away abroad to avoid paying taxes, report from the presidential palace said.
The issue about the scandal came when the government is seeking approval from the House of Representatives for a tax amnesty bill.
The bill is expected to result in big repatriation of funds abroad owned by rich Indonesians to the country.
The cash strapped government needs money to finance its big program especially for infrastructure.
Approval, however was not easily given.
"There were things that need to be consulted yet with the government," a House leader said.
Earlier, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said most of the Panama Paper data were correct based on data at the Taxation Directorate General.
Bambang said 79 percent of Indonesian names mentioned in the leaked documents were also found in the official record of the taxation directorate general.
"They were believed to have accounts abroad and this year legal actions would be taken. This year is a year of law enforcement for the taxation directorate general," he told lawmakers at a working meeting early last week.
The minister pledged that the taxation directorate general would demand clarification from those said to have accounts abroad.
"We would ask question about why the assets were not reported. The essence of tax amnesty is that we need reports of the assets so far not included in the annual report (SPT)," he said.
He said the data held by the taxation directorate general were not complete, adding data had been collected from only two countries and automatic exchange of data would begin only in 2018.
"We are convinced there are accounts in more than two countries. We could access the data in 2018 through 'automatic exchange of information'," he said.
Bambang said he hopes that the government plan of tax amnesty and and automatic exchange of information in 2018 would give a push for repatriation of the Indonesian assets from abroad.
President Joko Widodo has said the government would announce its official action concerning unreported assets after data have been complete.
"It is being discussed . When all data have been complete I would talk," the president said when on a visit to the Thousand islands in Jakarta bay last week. (WDY)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2016
The meeting was attended by among others police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Agus Rahardjo, Taxation Director General Ken Dwijugiasteadi, head of the Reporting and Analysis Center of Financial Transactions (PPATK) Muhammad Yusuf and representatives of the Finance Ministry and Bank Indonesia.
According to the documents, there were hundreds of Indonesians having assets stashed away abroad to avoid paying taxes, report from the presidential palace said.
The issue about the scandal came when the government is seeking approval from the House of Representatives for a tax amnesty bill.
The bill is expected to result in big repatriation of funds abroad owned by rich Indonesians to the country.
The cash strapped government needs money to finance its big program especially for infrastructure.
Approval, however was not easily given.
"There were things that need to be consulted yet with the government," a House leader said.
Earlier, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said most of the Panama Paper data were correct based on data at the Taxation Directorate General.
Bambang said 79 percent of Indonesian names mentioned in the leaked documents were also found in the official record of the taxation directorate general.
"They were believed to have accounts abroad and this year legal actions would be taken. This year is a year of law enforcement for the taxation directorate general," he told lawmakers at a working meeting early last week.
The minister pledged that the taxation directorate general would demand clarification from those said to have accounts abroad.
"We would ask question about why the assets were not reported. The essence of tax amnesty is that we need reports of the assets so far not included in the annual report (SPT)," he said.
He said the data held by the taxation directorate general were not complete, adding data had been collected from only two countries and automatic exchange of data would begin only in 2018.
"We are convinced there are accounts in more than two countries. We could access the data in 2018 through 'automatic exchange of information'," he said.
Bambang said he hopes that the government plan of tax amnesty and and automatic exchange of information in 2018 would give a push for repatriation of the Indonesian assets from abroad.
President Joko Widodo has said the government would announce its official action concerning unreported assets after data have been complete.
"It is being discussed . When all data have been complete I would talk," the president said when on a visit to the Thousand islands in Jakarta bay last week. (WDY)
Editor : I Gusti Bagus Widyantara
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2016