Job Discussion Forums

[guruengerish]

The whole tax business is wide open to corr....errr misinterpretation.

A friend of mine who runs a small family hotel, told me that the tax man came (th?), and demanded a huge sum in tax owing. There were no written records, and the amount equalled the value of a new Mercedes.

After a good deal of bargaining, a much lower sum was agreed on.

Another incident was at the McEF school I worked for. Each teacher was given a form to sign, declaring that our wages were as shown on the form, and in fact half of what we actually got. None of us would sign.

I am sure a request for a Tax File number would have been ignored.

I would like to think that the new McEF contracts include a clause stating that all teachers will get a Tax number, or the school pays the Fiskal at the completion of contract. Trouble with this is, if you want to go over to Singapore for Christmas, YOU pay the fiskal, and not the school.

[jondeg]

[malu]

[rayman]

Thanks for pointing that information out Jondeg and my apologies to Fishy. It does seem this is the case with non working spouses etc. Pleasing to know. Cheers

[Mr_Magoo]

[rayman]

If you've found 1 out of my 200 odd posts incorrect and the others you've read informative, I'll leave that up to you to decide. Keeping in mind, I did acknowledge and apologise for my error.

If you're seeking 100% accuracy from everyone on everything, I'd suggest the depths of East Java's salt mines would be insufficient for your needs

[basiltherat]

Hi
IMO The whole fiskal thing is a scam. Always was, always has been and always will be as long as it is applied. It is simply an effortless way to increase the wealth of the gov treasury and offer opportunities to officials to 'boost' their incomes. All this business about getting the dosh back if you have a NPWP is all well and good in theory but practically, it's a whole different ball game (form filling, declarations, signatures from various officials, travelling to and from various offices, waiting around etc). That's all there is to it. Nuff said.
In brief, the 'fiskal' idea is utter nonsense. What the f%^k is supposed to be meant by it anyway ... the "fiskal". What a bl**dy stupid name to call it !
best
basil

[Mr_Magoo]

[rayman]

[Mr_Magoo]

Correct me if I am wrong, but....

It isn't that you were wrong that annoys me so much; it is the fact that you were so arrogant towards the previous poster.

I do hope that my colleagues do not behave like this. Pissing contests are for children.

More salt please!

[Yr of Living Dangerously]

See below for the latest news on the fiskal/departure tax:

Aditya Suharmoko , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 12/26/2008 9:20 AM | Headlines

The tax office has officially announced an increase in the much-decried fiskal, or exit tax for travelers going overseas, in part to put to rest widespread speculation over the amount of the increase.


The exit tax for those aged 21 years and above departing from airports will be raised from Rp 1 million (US$91) to Rp 2.5 million, and for those traveling by sea from Rp 500,000 to Rp 1 million, effective Jan. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2010.


However, registered taxpayers will not have to pay a single cent; and starting from 2011, the exit tax will be scrapped altogether, according to the Finance Ministry�s directorate general of taxation.


Director general Darmin Nasution said the increase in exit tax was part of an effort to get more potential taxpayers to register for a tax number (NPWP).


It is proving a smart ruse, with many middle-to-high-income residents flocking to nearby tax offices to get an NPWP to comply with the office�s Sunset Policy program that ends on Dec. 31.

The program, under which applicants� tax obligations in previous years are written off, has seen people rushing to register themselves.


This month alone, the number of people registering for an NPWP was between 50,000 and 100,000 per day, up from about 7,000 people daily in previous months.


The exit tax will from now on become an up-front payment for income tax.


For instance, an employee whose income tax is Rp 20 million per year and who has traveled abroad twice this year � paying Rp 1 million in exit tax each time � will only have to pay Rp 18 million in income tax when filing their tax returns in March 2009.


For those not yet registered, the new exit tax of Rp 2.5 million could prove very daunting.
Satria Ramadhan, who will go to Bangkok for holidays in early January, said he was glad to have registered for an NPWP.


�Otherwise, I would have to pay Rp 2.5 million. I would have definitely canceled my trip if I had to pay such a huge amount.�


Another traveler, Frederick Tobing, praised the move by the directorate general of taxation.
�It�s a smart move. Most people, including myself, will rush to register at the tax office, just to avoid paying the exit tax.�


The directorate general of taxation estimates up to 10 million new taxpayers have registered this year, Darmin said.

�I didn�t expect the number to be this huge. No one expected to tap 10 million new taxpayers,� he said.


To get exemption from paying the exit tax, registered taxpayers must submit a copy of their NPWP, passport and boarding pass to tax officials at airports or ports.


If the NPWP is declared valid, the officials will put a �free exit tax� sticker on the boarding pass. If it is not valid, travelers will have to pay the exit tax.

1. Exit tax from airports for people aged 21 years and above raised from Rp 1 million
to Rp 2.5 million.
2. Exit tax from ports for people aged 21 years and above raised from Rp 500,000
to Rp 1 million.
3. Those automatically exempt from paying the exit tax include: People aged less than
21 years; foreigners staying in Indonesia no more than 183 days within the last 12 months; diplomats; employees of international organizations; Indonesian citizens with official
documents from other countries, including students; Haj pilgrims and Indonesian migrant laborers.
4. Those exempt from paying the exit tax but required to provide documentary proof: Foreign students with letters of recommendation from their universities; foreign researchers; foreign workers in Batam, Bintan and Karimun; disabled or ill people seeking medical treatment abroad paid for by social organizations; people traveling for art, culture, sport and religious missions, and students in a student-exchange program.

[malu]

[Shadow2009]

I know it was mentioned earlier. If you are leaving and have an EPO you do not pay and have never had to pay Fiskal. Your EPO is your one way ticket to freedom....Just like Monopoly when you have a "get out of jail" card.

[malu]

Yeah, I appreciate the position with an EPO but I go out about 4-5 times per year on a MERP.

[rayman]

hmmm, it still seems as clear as mud with the usual contradictory and unecessarily complicated rules.

As Malu noted, this section indicates we still pay the fiscal upfront;