TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Taxation Directorate General spokesperson Mekar Satria Utama called on taxpayers with back taxes to take the opportunity in the 2015 Taxpayers’ Guidance Year to settle their tax payables.

“If the tax payables are settled in 2015, the interest sanction for tax collection under Article 19 of the Law on General Provisions and Tax Procedures will be exempted,” Mekar said in Jakarta on Saturday, August 29.

Earlier, the Taxation Directorate General, the Justice and Human Rights Ministry’s Directorate General for Correctional Institutions and the National Police on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, arrested (gijzeling) a South Korean national, KJY, for tax debts of Rp 2.36 billion (US$168,500). KJY was detained at the Salatiga Detention Center Class II B in Central Java.

Mekar explained that the gijzeling was executed under Finance Minster’s approval No. SR-2033/MK.03/2015 on August 4, 2015. Mekar added that the gijzeling was aimed to detain delinquent taxpayers temporarily at a certain place.

“We hope that the gijzeling would motivate taxpayers to settle their tax debts and provide deterrent effect to other delinquent taxpayers,” Mekar said.

Mekar added that the detained taxpayers would be released after they settle their tax in arrears and the collection interest in a period of time set in the gijzeling order.

ANTARA