Anton Hermansyah, Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung – Tax revenue increased by 18.13 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the first quarter to Rp 222.27 trillion (US$16.73 billion), thanks to the after-effect of the tax amnesty.

The increase was mostly attributed to private taxpayers who had filed their taxes this year, said the Directorate General of Taxation's tax revenue and compliance director, Yon Arsal, adding that previously many taxpayers had not filed their taxes.

"We got Rp 2 trillion from them; this means people are getting more diligent [in paying taxes] after the tax amnesty," Yon said at a media briefing in Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung, on Sunday.

Yon added that the tax office had targeted an 18.23 percent yoy increase in first-quarter revenue. The government has set itself a target of collecting Rp 1.31 quadrillion in tax revenue this year, and with the recent increase, the office has reached 17 percent of that target.

Indonesia has 36.03 million registered taxpayers in 2017 compared to 32.79 million in 2016. As of March, 9.71 million taxpayers have submitted their tax forms, resulting in a 58.47 percent tax ratio.

"The 58.47 percent tax ratio is the March number and still running; last year we reached 63.15 percent by December," he added. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/04/17/tax-amnesty-boosts-state-revenue-in-first-quarter.html