Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Indef Senior Economist Faisal Basri believes that the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) and the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) should be separated from the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu).
This comment followed a series of polemics that occurred at DGT and DGCE, including the case of former tax official at the Ministry of Finance, Rafael Alun Trisambodo, letters from millennial employees dismantling customs officials’ ulcers, to the arbitrariness of customs officers towards people returning from abroad.
According to him, the polemics seemed to burden the Ministry of Finance. Moreover, tax and customs officials themselves have different treatment from ASN in other ministries.
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For example, they can get fantastic incentives if the tax and excise revenue targets are exceeded. Faisal said, this could also make other ASNs jealous.
“So if taxes and customs are somewhat different from other ministries, yes it should be separated (from the Ministry of Finance),” he said in the What The Fact! Podcast! Politics CNNIndonesia.com, some time ago.
(Gambas:Video CNN)
Faisal also gave an example in the United States, taxes and customs have their own institution, namely the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That way, the two of them were not included from the Ministry of Finance.
“So the finance minister is just the treasury, who manages the state treasury and so on,” he added.
Furthermore, Faisal believes that the minister of finance has an important position. The Minister of Finance also has the power or right to refuse other ministries/agencies that request additional budgets.
He said the minister of finance was likened to a brake, which must be able to control unreasonable requests. Therefore, the minister of finance must be firm and courageous.
“It’s a bit hard for me to say, when the finance minister feels, say what the president or his superiors have asked for has crossed the boundaries of values which are core values as finance minister, he should say no. So the finance minister has the courage to say no. Even though the risk is replaced,” he said.
(mrh/pta)