RI`s tax receipts reach 92 pct of target

Antara News, Wednesday, December 30, 2009 22:51 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s tax receipts have so far this year reached Rp490 trillion, accounting for 92-93 percent of the target of Rp577.3 trillion set in the 2009 state budget, a tax official said.

But the tax receipts were higher than the government had projected earlier, Director General of Taxation Mochamad Tjiptardjo said on Wednesday.

He expressed hope the tax receipts could be raised to at least Rp500 trillion by the end of this year.

The directorate general of taxation was waiting for reports from its 31 regional offices on tax receipts in the regions, he said.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said earlier the country`s tax receipts this year would likely fall short of the target as a result of the global economic crisis.

She projected the tax receipts this year would only reach 95 percent of the target.

The finance ministry said earlier tax receipts until November 16 reached 75 percent of the target of Rp577.4 trillion for 2009.

The ministry predicted tax receipts including customs revenues until the end of this year would reach Rp623 trillion, accounting for 95.6 percent of the target set in the revised 2009 state budget.

Of the total, tax receipts collected by the directorate general of taxation are expected to reach Rp549.9 trillion, or 95 percent of the target.

Anggito Abimanyu, head of the ministry`s fiscal policy board, said the lower-than-expected tax receipts was the result of sluggish economy.

"But don`t see (the tax receipts) item by item. Overall, the tax receipts are still above the expected average," he said.