E-Commerce Tax May Boost State Income by Rp342bn, Observer Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The executive director of the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA), Yustinus Prastowo, lauded the Finance Ministry for issuing a Ministerial Decree No. 210/PMK.010/2018 concerning the taxation of trade transaction through electronic system or e-commerce.

According to him, the potential tax revenue from the regulation would reach Rp342 billion. “The number is obtained from the 0.5 percent tariff of three marketplaces namely Bukalapak, Tokopedia, and Blanja.com,” said Yustinus in a phone call, January 13.

Yustinus deemed the policy had been long waited as legal certainty for entrepreneurs and discussion material. “Not to mention, dissemination on the policy takes three months,” he added.

Substantially, Yusinus opined, the policy is quite reasonable because it focused on the regulation of rights and obligation in general, and addressed to the taxpayer registration of for trader in e-commerce. “There is no new tax rule, the existing taxation obligation is related to PPh, PPh Final PP 23, and PPN (for those who meet the requirement),” he noted.

Earlier, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati signed the Ministerial Decree or PMK on December 31, 2018. “This policy starts to take effect on April 1, 2019,” as noted in the regulation quoted in a press release issued by the Cabinet Secretary website, setkab.go.id, Saturday, January 12, 2019.

MUHAMMAD HENDARTYO