Category: Indonesia

British American Tobacco shifts nearly $1bn out of developing countries into one UK office

For every dollar British American Tobacco (BAT) paid in tax in the countries it operates in, the giant multinational shifted more than half a dollar that would have been taxed locally to a UK subsidiary where BAT paid almost no tax. New analysis by the Tax Justice Network estimates Bangladesh,… – Continue reading

Indonesians who hide assets abroad face punishment

The Directorate General of Taxation will seriously investigate Indonesian assets that are not reported through the annual tax return form (SPT), and is preparing punishment for non-compliant taxpayers, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said over the weekend. She said the first step would be for the Directorate General of Taxation… – Continue reading

Government targets 16.6% tax revenue growth in 2019

The government is targeting Rp 1.51 quadrillion (US$99.29 billion) in tax revenues for 2019, or 16.67 percent higher than this year’s target. Meanwhile, it has set a 12.11 percent tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio. “We have implemented tax amnesty. It was an initial step. We also have access to banking… – Continue reading

Nigeria seeks IMF’s support on tax collection

The Federal Government is seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on modalities for improving tax collection, especially from the International Oil Companies (IOCs), Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, has said. She told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Meetings, in Bali,… – Continue reading

Singapore does not ‘indulge’ in tax agreement with Indonesia: Finance Ministry

The Lion City will not hesitate to impose action against firms with cross-border tax evasion. Singapore’s Ministry of Finance refuted a news article by CNBC Indonesia which claims that its Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with Indonesia ‘indulges Singapore’. “Provisions under the DTA are reciprocal, like any other DTA,” the ministry… – Continue reading

Chasing tax evaders worldwide

Indonesia is set to join the global treaty on the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) on tax matters this month, and will then have virtually all the “high-caliber weapons” it needs to hunt down tax evaders — not just within the country but anywhere in the world, including tax-haven countries…. – Continue reading

Tax DG Ready to Swap Information with Other Nations by September

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Finance Ministry`s Tax Directorate General ensures all preparations have been completed before the implementation the automatic exchange of information (AEoI). The program is set to kick off in September this year. “It’s ready; we can now just wait for the data. It will be done through… – Continue reading

Govt to maintain investment climate, tax reform in setting 2019 tax target

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said the government will consider several scenarios in determining its 2019 tax revenue target while adhering to its commitment to maintaining a conducive investment climate and pushing for tax reform. “The tax revenue target will be set in consideration of current global and national… – Continue reading

Indonesian Government Issues Long-Awaited Decree On Beneficial Ownership

On March 1st, President Joko Widodo signed the Presidential Decree No. 13/2018 on beneficial ownership, which enables authorities to identify the beneficial owners of firms and cooperatives, among other institutions. The decree will help to curb money laundering and terrorism funding practices. Experts have said it will also provide a… – Continue reading

Director General of Taxes Confirms Issues on Inheritance Tax

JAKARTA, NNC – Director General of Taxes of the Ministry of Finance Robert Pakpahan discloses the rules of reporting financial account of undivided inheritance of a deceased person is a derivative of Indonesia’s participation in Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEoI). According to him, the existence of this rule does not… – Continue reading

New regulation supports AEOI implementation, analysts say

Analysts are pointing to Finance Ministerial Regulation No. 19/2018, which was recently issued by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, as technical guidance to support global transparency in taxation. Economist Bawono Kristiaji said the regulation supported the implementation of the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) agreement, which was signed by 100… – Continue reading

Indonesia, Singapore to Exchange Financial Data in September

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Directorate General of Tax stated that financial data exchange and Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) for taxation purposes with Singapore will begin in September 2018. “We will begin information exchange with Singapore in September 2018,” said international taxation director at the tax DG John Hutagaol in Jakarta… – Continue reading

Tax office opens AEOI registration for banks, ensures data privacy

The Finance Ministry’s directorate general of taxation has called on all financial institutions to register with the tax office to begin the process of reporting customers’ data in accordance with the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) program. Taxation directorate general spokesman Hestu Yoga Saksama said on Wednesday in Jakarta that… – Continue reading

EDITORIAL: Paradise for tax evaders

What more could the Indonesian tax authority do than simply pledge to investigate and verify information on taxpayers who sheltered their wealth secretly in offshore tax havens, as revealed last week through the leaked Paradise Papers. But the stated commitment is meaningless unless the government acts quickly and firmly to… – Continue reading

Ghana wins award for Company Ownership Transparency

Ghana has won international recognition for its commitment to expanding the frontiers of transparency, including progress made towards lifting the veil off the actual beneficial owners of companies operating in the country. The recognition came in the form of an award from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) International Board… – Continue reading

MAS issues stern money laundering warning; Jakarta starts StanChart probe

Private-bank assets held by StanChart in Channel island tax haven were moved to S’pore in 2015: report Singapore THE Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Monday declared its firm commitment to keeping the country’s financial centre clean and safeguarded from illicit activities. Singapore’s central bank and financial regulatory authority said… – Continue reading

StanChart said to be investigated over US$1.4bn Indonesian cash transfers from Guernsey to Singapore

Over 100 jurisdictions indicated they will sign up to a global framework for the exchange of tax data (CRS) at the start of 2016, but these won’t take effect in Singapore and Hong Kong until 2018 Regulators in Europe and Asia are believed to be investigating Standard Chartered – one… – Continue reading

New regulation forces Indonesians to sell their foreign shell companies

On the back of the Indonesian government’s issuance of its new controlled foreign company (CFC) regulation on July 26, many Indonesians are likely to sell their foreign shell companies because of the enforcement of double tax payments. The CFC regulation authorizes the government to charge a dividend tax on foreign… – Continue reading

Indonesia to Trace and Tax Assets Kept Hidden During Amnesty

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s government has issued new regulations aimed at tracing and taxing the wealth of taxpayers who were not pardoned in the nine-month tax amnesty that ended in March. Around 972,000 taxpayers joined the amnesty programme and declared assets worth a total of 4,881 trillion rupiah (272 billion pounds)…. – Continue reading

PH to sign tax pact with Brunei

The Philippines is set to sign a double taxation agreement (DTA) with Brunei while eyeing to start negotiations with three other Asean countries as part of its commitments under the regional integration framework. Internal Revenue Assistant Commissioner Marissa O. Cabreros told the Inquirer yesterday that the Philippines’ DTA with Brunei… – Continue reading

HONG KONG, SINGAPORE AND CHINA GET TOUGH ON TAX HAVENS

In an effort to create a ‘level playing field’, Asian economies are committing to new standards of transparency At the risk of losing some foreign investors, Asian jurisdictions are stepping up efforts to combat corporate tax avoidance to meet new global transparency standards. More than a dozen Asia-Pacific jurisdictions have… – Continue reading

Indonesia Passes Law to Chase Tax Evaders Overseas

New law to fulfill requirements under OCED’s AEOI framework Move could unlock billions of dollars of assets kept abroad Indonesia moved a step closer to hunting down tens of billions of dollars it believes its citizens have hidden abroad after political parties agreed to seek a parliamentary approval for a… – Continue reading

Singapore ready to exchange account info with Indonesia

Swop of taxpayer financial data can start when Jakarta puts safeguards in place, says Indranee Singapore stands ready to have a Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI) relationship with Indonesia, as soon as Indonesia is ready, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law Indranee Rajah has said. This… – Continue reading

Tax officers cannot directly access bank account information: Official

The Directorate General of Taxation has given assurances that the government will strictly regulate the accessing of banking information by tax officers to avoid irregularities. Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 1/2017 on financial information access for tax purposes has ended the country’s bank secrecy regime as it allows… – Continue reading

Tax amnesty plan premature, says Citi

MANILA, Philippines – Instead, the government should pursue the enactment of the proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) before pursuing a tax amnesty program, Citi economist Jun Trinidad said. He said fiscal priority remains the passage of the first component of the tax reform measure that includes income tax cut… – Continue reading

Tax amnesty plan faces hurdles – Credit Suisse

MANILA, Philippines – Investment bank Credit Suisse said an effective tax amnesty program would face hurdles in the Philippines due to the country’s strict banking secrecy law. In its Asian daily report titled “Philippines: Credible threat still lacking,” Credit Suisse economist Michael Wan said the planned program announced by Finance… – Continue reading

Singapore is Proven to be Indonesians’ Tax Haven

Singapore is home to the majority of the Rp 1,174-trillion assets overseas owned by Indonesians, which had been declared and repatriated to Indonesia under the Tax Amnesty program. Indonesia, GIVnews.com – Indonesia’s tax amnesty program has proven public claim that Singapore is a favorable place for wealthy Indonesians to store… – Continue reading

Bank transparency, data matching for tax purposes

The government’s plan to issue a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) concerning banking transparency, which includes allowing the tax authority to access taxpayers’ bank data, has sparked hot public debate. The proponents argue that such an initiative is critical, outlining the fact that the government has to comply with… – Continue reading

Global transfer pricing standards with local impacts

THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) initiated the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project in 2013 to address perceived gaps in international tax rules causing a loss of revenues for governments of about US$100 billion to $240 billion (Bt3.5 trillion to Bt8.4 trillion) annually. The OECD’s BEPS… – Continue reading

Sri Mulyani: Indonesia Ready to Implement Financial Information Exchange

Finance Minister, Sri Mulyani, says that Indonesia continues to make preparations for implementing exchange of information in financial services and taxation sectors like alignment of the rules in the Law on the General Rules and Procedures of Taxation (KUP). “We will try various ways to incorporate various articles for KUP… – Continue reading

Indonesia – Key Indonesian Law Considerations For International DCM Issues

Following Moody’s Investors Service affirmation of Indonesia’s sovereign credit rating at Baa3 with a stable outlook in January 2016, there has been renewed interest in the international bond market for Indonesian credits. This bulletin seeks to summarise the regulatory changes in Indonesia over the last 24 months as well as… – Continue reading

Indonesia’s tax amnesty enters its third phase with good results so far

Indonesia has entered the third phase of its tax amnesty program, which was first launched in July 2016 to boost the country’s meagre revenue by collecting previously unreported funds hidden by wealthy citizens abroad and at home. The country, which has long struggled to increase its tax revenue, has so… – Continue reading

Google & Indonesia Fail to Reach Tax Agreement in 2016

US multinational technology company Google failed to reach a tax settlement with Indonesia’s Tax Office in 2016 and therefore directors of Google Indonesia could risk a prison visit. In September 2016 Muhammad Hanif, Head of the Tax Office’s Special Cases Department, said Google could face claims for five years of… – Continue reading

Google, Facebook Targeted by Indonesia in Push for More Tax

Indonesia is widening its tax net to target global technology giants like Google and Facebook Inc., a strategy that’s raising red flags for fear it may deter foreign investment. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is seeking to squeeze more revenue out of an economy that’s been hit by weak commodity… – Continue reading

Federal government moves to stop double taxation, evasion

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday approved a bilateral agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of physical evasion of taxes on income and capital benefits between Nigeria and Singapore. The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun disclosed to State House Correspondents, after the FEC meeting… – Continue reading

PH eyes tax treaties with Asean peers

The Philippines is eyeing to seal tax treaties with all nine other Asean member-states, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). The country already has effective double taxation agreements (DTAs) with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, BIR Assistant Commissioner Marissa O. Cabreros noted in a presentation at last… – Continue reading