No Meetings With Taxpayers Outside Office: Sri Mulyani
Jakarta. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati prohibits the ministry's officials from discussing tax-related matters with taxpayers outside the office.
The ban comes after a bribery scandal involving a senior tax official, amid the government's attempts to revamp the taxation system and bring more revenue to state coffers.
"At this time we are carrying out important and difficult tasks — collecting the taxes and building a reputation. Professional integrity cannot be compromised," Sri said in a speech at an inauguration event of third-echelon officials on Monday (27/03), as reported by Antaranews.com.
This was the first time a finance minister inaugurated middle-level officials, the agency said, which reflects Sri's determination to get her message across to the new staff.
The office is still recovering from the latest scandal.
Handang Soekarno, head of initial evidence of the tax directorate's law enforcement department will be tried for allegedly receiving a bribe from Ramapanicker Rajamohanan Nair, director of E.K. Prima Exports Indonesia — a local division of Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group International.
According to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Handang helped E.K. Prima to get the tax office write off the company's back taxes.
While it is common for taxpayers to ask the tax office to review their back taxes, it was the kickbacks received by Handang that made him breach the law. Handang and Nair were arrested in a sting operation in November when they met at Nair's apartment at Springhill Residence in Kemayoran, North Jakarta.
"I have asked officials of all ranks to take a lesson from the incident. A drop of ink is enough to spoil a barrel of milk. The behavior of one official is enough to spoil the whole institution," Sri said.
The government seeks to collect Rp 1,499 trillion ($113 billion) in tax this year, up 17 percent from last year's Rp 1,284 trillion.
Correction: The previous version of this article stated that Springhill Residence was in Kemayoran in South Jakarta. It should be North Jakarta. The Jakarta Globe regrets the error.
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