The tax office says taxpayers this year should obtain their tax forms themselves at the nearest tax office branch before the end-of-March deadline.
Last year the tax office sent tax forms to taxpayers because of the low awareness of taxpayers' obligation to pay, tax office chief M. Tjiptardjo told a seminar Wednesday.
"The tax form, which we last year sent to your address, should this year be collected by yourselves," he said.
Tax return forms are documents that are completed by taxpayers and filed with the tax office to determine the amount of income tax an individual must pay.
Tjiptardjo said he felt there was a growing awareness among taxpayers to pay their taxes given that 45 percent of almost 12 million taxpayers filed their tax returns last year.
Rabu, 27 Januari 2010
BI may keep key rate despite rising inflation
Inflation may accelerate moderately in January due to higher administered prices, particularly rice, analysts said - and the central bank will likely keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged despite the inflationary pressure.
Inflation this month could increase 0.4 percent from December, bringing year-on-year inflation up to 3.3 percent, driven by rising prices for foodstuffs, mainly rice and sugar, Standard Chartered Bank economist Eric Sugandi said Tuesday.
Year-on-year inflation in December was 2.78 percent, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the lowest rate in a decade. BPS will announce the official figure for January's inflation on Feb. 1.
"As inflation remains manageable in the first quarter of 2010 and as the current Bank Indonesia *BI* rate level is supportive of the rupiah, we expect BI to keep the rate unchanged at 6.5 percent," said Eric, adding that the rate would help banks to increase lending because of the low borrowing costs for businesses.
BI cut its rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 percent in August and has kept it at that level since September to spur economic growth.
It is estimated the economy will have grown by 4.3 percent last year, and it may increase to 5.2 percent this year on the back of higher business expansion as the global economy begins recovery, BI said.
BI's board of governors will meet on Feb. 4 to determine its policy rate.
Acting Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution has said the current BI rate is acceptable as inflation will return to its normal level of between 4 and 6 percent this year.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the price of rice should be closely overseen.
Rice is the main staple food for 231 million Indonesians.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said the price of rice had risen because of the weather. Rain forced farmers in some areas to delay planting their rice crop, which may delay the harvest season, he said.
But the government has intervened to improve marketing and the supply of rice in areas where the price is high, he added.
"If needed we can intervene in marketing operations in central markets with up to 1,000 tons of rice per day," said Bayu.
Danareksa Research Institute chief researcher Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the government should intervene to increase rice supply as inflationary pressures would be higher in the second half this year.
At 4:10 p.m. Tuesday the rupiah fell 0.8 percent to Rp 9,415 per US dollar due to concern China would slow down lending and economic growth, dimming the outlook for regional exports, Bloomberg reported. The local currency earlier reached Rp 9,440, the weakest level since Jan. 4.
Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves rose to nearly US$70 billion last week from $66 billion as of Dec. 31, said BI Deputy Governor Hartadi A. Sarwono, meaning the central bank has more space to intervene in currency markets.
Inflation this month could increase 0.4 percent from December, bringing year-on-year inflation up to 3.3 percent, driven by rising prices for foodstuffs, mainly rice and sugar, Standard Chartered Bank economist Eric Sugandi said Tuesday.
Year-on-year inflation in December was 2.78 percent, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the lowest rate in a decade. BPS will announce the official figure for January's inflation on Feb. 1.
"As inflation remains manageable in the first quarter of 2010 and as the current Bank Indonesia *BI* rate level is supportive of the rupiah, we expect BI to keep the rate unchanged at 6.5 percent," said Eric, adding that the rate would help banks to increase lending because of the low borrowing costs for businesses.
BI cut its rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 percent in August and has kept it at that level since September to spur economic growth.
It is estimated the economy will have grown by 4.3 percent last year, and it may increase to 5.2 percent this year on the back of higher business expansion as the global economy begins recovery, BI said.
BI's board of governors will meet on Feb. 4 to determine its policy rate.
Acting Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution has said the current BI rate is acceptable as inflation will return to its normal level of between 4 and 6 percent this year.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the price of rice should be closely overseen.
Rice is the main staple food for 231 million Indonesians.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said the price of rice had risen because of the weather. Rain forced farmers in some areas to delay planting their rice crop, which may delay the harvest season, he said.
But the government has intervened to improve marketing and the supply of rice in areas where the price is high, he added.
"If needed we can intervene in marketing operations in central markets with up to 1,000 tons of rice per day," said Bayu.
Danareksa Research Institute chief researcher Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the government should intervene to increase rice supply as inflationary pressures would be higher in the second half this year.
At 4:10 p.m. Tuesday the rupiah fell 0.8 percent to Rp 9,415 per US dollar due to concern China would slow down lending and economic growth, dimming the outlook for regional exports, Bloomberg reported. The local currency earlier reached Rp 9,440, the weakest level since Jan. 4.
Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves rose to nearly US$70 billion last week from $66 billion as of Dec. 31, said BI Deputy Governor Hartadi A. Sarwono, meaning the central bank has more space to intervene in currency markets.
Demonstration against SBY held in Makassar
Students held a demonstration against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Makassar on Wednesday, criticizing him for not delivering his campaign promises in his first 100 days in office.
One of the protest coordinators, Muhammad Ikbal from Makassar State University, said a bigger rally would be held on Thursday.
The demonstrators said the government only tried to protect its image and thought about their supporting political parties, but it forgot about the people.
They urged the government to swiftly resolve the Bank Century bailout case, to reject free trade and neoliberalism, and to nationalize strategic assets
One of the protest coordinators, Muhammad Ikbal from Makassar State University, said a bigger rally would be held on Thursday.
The demonstrators said the government only tried to protect its image and thought about their supporting political parties, but it forgot about the people.
They urged the government to swiftly resolve the Bank Century bailout case, to reject free trade and neoliberalism, and to nationalize strategic assets
Jumat, 22 Januari 2010
Oil falls below $76 amid weak demand
Oil prices fell below $76 a barrel Friday after government figures showed that the United States continues to use less energy than last year.
By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for March delivery was down 29 cents to $75.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange
On Thursday, the contract dropped to $75.66, the lowest price since Dec. 23, before settling at $76.08, down $1.66.
Also hurting oil prices was a tumble in Asian and European stock markets after President Barack Obama proposed tougher bank regulations, which may see less hot money flowing into commodities markets.
"The president's line of action against the banks' trading desks and investments in hedge funds will be a concern for the stability of some investment flows in the global market place," said Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland. "However, it will not happen overnight and will face some very strong lobbying that could water down some of the initial intentions."
Goldman Sachs and other major banks have helped funnel billions of dollars of speculative money into oil and natural gas contracts during the past several years.
Some analysts said buyers could return to the market if the Nymex contract fell a bit more.
"Market sentiment is bearish as fundamentals remain weak but prices could bounce back if it hits $75. There will be some support at this level," said Clarence Chu, a trader with Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore.
Energy prices tumbled Thursday after the Energy Information Administration reported that demand for gasoline and jet fuel both weakened during the past few weeks.
America is consuming less petroleum than the same time last year, and refineries, which have struggled to pass higher crude costs along to consumers, are now operating at the lowest levels since September 2008.
"This is the lowest level that refiners have operated at in at least 20 years, with the exception of hurricane-induced shutdowns," said JBC Energy in Vienna.
Natural gas supplies dropped more than expected to 2.6 trillion cubic feet and are now slightly lower than the five-year average.
"In the big picture, nothing is really changed on the demand side," said Petromatrix's Jakob. "It is still not there and the cold weather is not making much of a difference."
In other Nymex trading in February contracts, heating oil rose 0.26 cent to $1.9882 a gallon, while gasoline rose 0.91 cent to $1.9920 a gallon. Natural gas futures gained 10.6 cents to $5.721 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude for March delivery fell 20 cents to $74.38 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for March delivery was down 29 cents to $75.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange
On Thursday, the contract dropped to $75.66, the lowest price since Dec. 23, before settling at $76.08, down $1.66.
Also hurting oil prices was a tumble in Asian and European stock markets after President Barack Obama proposed tougher bank regulations, which may see less hot money flowing into commodities markets.
"The president's line of action against the banks' trading desks and investments in hedge funds will be a concern for the stability of some investment flows in the global market place," said Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland. "However, it will not happen overnight and will face some very strong lobbying that could water down some of the initial intentions."
Goldman Sachs and other major banks have helped funnel billions of dollars of speculative money into oil and natural gas contracts during the past several years.
Some analysts said buyers could return to the market if the Nymex contract fell a bit more.
"Market sentiment is bearish as fundamentals remain weak but prices could bounce back if it hits $75. There will be some support at this level," said Clarence Chu, a trader with Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore.
Energy prices tumbled Thursday after the Energy Information Administration reported that demand for gasoline and jet fuel both weakened during the past few weeks.
America is consuming less petroleum than the same time last year, and refineries, which have struggled to pass higher crude costs along to consumers, are now operating at the lowest levels since September 2008.
"This is the lowest level that refiners have operated at in at least 20 years, with the exception of hurricane-induced shutdowns," said JBC Energy in Vienna.
Natural gas supplies dropped more than expected to 2.6 trillion cubic feet and are now slightly lower than the five-year average.
"In the big picture, nothing is really changed on the demand side," said Petromatrix's Jakob. "It is still not there and the cold weather is not making much of a difference."
In other Nymex trading in February contracts, heating oil rose 0.26 cent to $1.9882 a gallon, while gasoline rose 0.91 cent to $1.9920 a gallon. Natural gas futures gained 10.6 cents to $5.721 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude for March delivery fell 20 cents to $74.38 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Garuda launches new services to net more Japanese travelers
State airline company PT Garuda Indonesia, in cooperation with the immigration office, has launched an onboard visa application service on inbound flights from Japan.
The introduction of the service coincides with the launch of a premium tour and travel operation in Japan, managed by Garuda’s local partner and subsidiary.
The maiden flight of the “visa on board” service began Thursday, carrying approximately 180 tourists from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.
Each tourist is required, after checking in their baggage at the airport, to pay US$10 for a seven-day visa or $25 for a 30-day visa at a designated counter.
The latter is extendable for another 30 days without extra charge.
Two immigration officers are stationed in all Garuda flights from Japan to process the tourist visa applications.
Garuda currently flies to Narita, Chubu International Airport in Nagoya, and Kansai International Airport in Osaka.
Non-Japanese travelers on these flights can also make use of the “visa on board” service.
Those granted visa clearance are given a pass card that allows them to go through immigration checkpoints at Indonesian airports without further inspection.
Garuda CEO Emirsyah Satar dubbed the new service “the only one of its kind in the global airline industry”, adding it would also be introduced in the airline’s flights from South Korea and China.
Aboard the plane with Emirsyah to celebrate the maiden flight were Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Jusuf Anwar, Director General for Immigration Muhammad Indra, and Culture and Tourism Ministry Director for Marketing I Gde Pitana.
Indra said the new service was a step forward from the current visa-on-arrival, and a product of the office’s first 100-day program.
“This service is also a response to inconveniences that may occur in the visa-on-arrival procedures at airports,” he said.
He played down the possibility of security threats from the new visa clearance system, saying travelers from Japan posed a low security threat.
Pitana praised the new initiative, saying it would do a lot to detract from Indonesia’s oft-ridiculed airport-based immigration services.
“The tourism industry is really about keeping up an image, and the immigration service is the first thing travelers have to deal with,” he said.
He added he had high hopes for the new service to be able to help boost the number of Japanese travelers visiting Indonesia.
From January to November last year, the number of visitors to Indonesia from Japan reached 405,000, or a 17 percent drop from the same period in 2008.
Pitana said the fall was largely due to the impact of the global economic crisis on Japanese consumers.
To further develop the Japanese market, Garuda, in cooperation with its local partner Good Luck Tour Co., launched Wednesday its Japan operation of the Garuda Orient Holiday, a tour and travel package that offers wider alternatives for travel activities for premium travelers, provided by Garuda subsidiary Aerowisata.
Aerowisata’s Japan operation is the fourth of its kind after Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
Among destinations included in the Orient Holiday package are diving adventures in Bunaken and Raja Ampat, tours of historical sites such as Borobudur and Prambanan, ecotourism in Komodo Island and Bali, and cultural tours to the Saung Udjo Angklung Studio and batik producers in Surakarta.
“With the Orient Holiday operation now in Japan, we expect to boost visitor numbers to Indonesia using Garuda by at least 10 percent,” Emirsyah said.
The introduction of the service coincides with the launch of a premium tour and travel operation in Japan, managed by Garuda’s local partner and subsidiary.
The maiden flight of the “visa on board” service began Thursday, carrying approximately 180 tourists from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.
Each tourist is required, after checking in their baggage at the airport, to pay US$10 for a seven-day visa or $25 for a 30-day visa at a designated counter.
The latter is extendable for another 30 days without extra charge.
Two immigration officers are stationed in all Garuda flights from Japan to process the tourist visa applications.
Garuda currently flies to Narita, Chubu International Airport in Nagoya, and Kansai International Airport in Osaka.
Non-Japanese travelers on these flights can also make use of the “visa on board” service.
Those granted visa clearance are given a pass card that allows them to go through immigration checkpoints at Indonesian airports without further inspection.
Garuda CEO Emirsyah Satar dubbed the new service “the only one of its kind in the global airline industry”, adding it would also be introduced in the airline’s flights from South Korea and China.
Aboard the plane with Emirsyah to celebrate the maiden flight were Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Jusuf Anwar, Director General for Immigration Muhammad Indra, and Culture and Tourism Ministry Director for Marketing I Gde Pitana.
Indra said the new service was a step forward from the current visa-on-arrival, and a product of the office’s first 100-day program.
“This service is also a response to inconveniences that may occur in the visa-on-arrival procedures at airports,” he said.
He played down the possibility of security threats from the new visa clearance system, saying travelers from Japan posed a low security threat.
Pitana praised the new initiative, saying it would do a lot to detract from Indonesia’s oft-ridiculed airport-based immigration services.
“The tourism industry is really about keeping up an image, and the immigration service is the first thing travelers have to deal with,” he said.
He added he had high hopes for the new service to be able to help boost the number of Japanese travelers visiting Indonesia.
From January to November last year, the number of visitors to Indonesia from Japan reached 405,000, or a 17 percent drop from the same period in 2008.
Pitana said the fall was largely due to the impact of the global economic crisis on Japanese consumers.
To further develop the Japanese market, Garuda, in cooperation with its local partner Good Luck Tour Co., launched Wednesday its Japan operation of the Garuda Orient Holiday, a tour and travel package that offers wider alternatives for travel activities for premium travelers, provided by Garuda subsidiary Aerowisata.
Aerowisata’s Japan operation is the fourth of its kind after Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
Among destinations included in the Orient Holiday package are diving adventures in Bunaken and Raja Ampat, tours of historical sites such as Borobudur and Prambanan, ecotourism in Komodo Island and Bali, and cultural tours to the Saung Udjo Angklung Studio and batik producers in Surakarta.
“With the Orient Holiday operation now in Japan, we expect to boost visitor numbers to Indonesia using Garuda by at least 10 percent,” Emirsyah said.
Senin, 18 Januari 2010
`President should take responsibility for Century'
Former head of the presidential advisory council Adnan Buyung Nasution said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should take responsibility for the Bank Century bailout if the decision to salvage the bank was in line with state policy.
Adnan said that Yudhoyono should be brave enough to explain to the public the government's decision to inject Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) into the bank in order to end the protracted debate at the House of Representatives, which has been working on the case for two months.
"If the decision to save Bank Century was in line with state policy then the President should take full responsibility," Adnan, who claimed to speak in his capacity as an activist, said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Saturday.
He warned that Yudhoyono's inaction and failure to publicly respond to the case would create more difficulties for his officials, just as Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani had been bombarded by the House inquiry team last week.
Economist Ismet Hasan Putro agreed, saying the country would not need to spend so much time on investigating Bank Century if Yudhoyono took over the case.
"It is now in the hands of Yudhoyono. If he wants to speak out, the government could focus on other things," he said in a weekly discussion on Saturday.
A number of members of the House committee have demanded that President Yudhoyono testify over the Bank Century case.
Gayus Lumbuun from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) also said the President knew about the details of the decision to bail out the bank.
Inquiry committee member Akbar Faisal from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said the presence of Yudhoyono was needed to clarify a statement from Sri Mulyani, who said she had sent a text message to Yudhoyono and then vice president Jusuf Kalla to report the bailout decision.
Kalla told the committee he had never read the message.
In his testimony at the House committee, Kalla said that Boediono, who was then governor of Bank Indonesia, refused to arrest the bank's owner Robert Tantular.
Vice President Boediono in his state visit to East Kalimantan on Friday confirmed Kalla had ordered Robert's arrest.
However, Boediono said that Bank Indonesia had asked the immigration office to prevent Robert Tantular from traveling overseas days before Kalla ordered the arrest.
The House inquiry committee has yet to consider summoning Yudhoyono, its chairman said.
"We do not have the data yet," said committee chairman Idrus Marham.
He declined to comment on Adnan's statement asking Yudhoyono to take responsibility for the case.
The committee has questioned, among others, Vice President Boediono, who was the Bank Indonesia governor at a time the bailout was extended, former vice president Jusuf Kalla and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Idrus, who is the Golkar secretary -general, said the committee would have to regroup to decide whether to summon the President.
Adnan Buyung also asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the Bank Century case to determine whether the decision to bail out the bank was in line with state policy.
"If the KPK discovers the bailout was not in accordance with state policy then it must investigate President Yudhoyono," he said.
He said the result of the investigation should then be submitted to the Constitutional Court.
Adnan said that Yudhoyono should be brave enough to explain to the public the government's decision to inject Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) into the bank in order to end the protracted debate at the House of Representatives, which has been working on the case for two months.
"If the decision to save Bank Century was in line with state policy then the President should take full responsibility," Adnan, who claimed to speak in his capacity as an activist, said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Saturday.
He warned that Yudhoyono's inaction and failure to publicly respond to the case would create more difficulties for his officials, just as Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani had been bombarded by the House inquiry team last week.
Economist Ismet Hasan Putro agreed, saying the country would not need to spend so much time on investigating Bank Century if Yudhoyono took over the case.
"It is now in the hands of Yudhoyono. If he wants to speak out, the government could focus on other things," he said in a weekly discussion on Saturday.
A number of members of the House committee have demanded that President Yudhoyono testify over the Bank Century case.
Gayus Lumbuun from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) also said the President knew about the details of the decision to bail out the bank.
Inquiry committee member Akbar Faisal from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said the presence of Yudhoyono was needed to clarify a statement from Sri Mulyani, who said she had sent a text message to Yudhoyono and then vice president Jusuf Kalla to report the bailout decision.
Kalla told the committee he had never read the message.
In his testimony at the House committee, Kalla said that Boediono, who was then governor of Bank Indonesia, refused to arrest the bank's owner Robert Tantular.
Vice President Boediono in his state visit to East Kalimantan on Friday confirmed Kalla had ordered Robert's arrest.
However, Boediono said that Bank Indonesia had asked the immigration office to prevent Robert Tantular from traveling overseas days before Kalla ordered the arrest.
The House inquiry committee has yet to consider summoning Yudhoyono, its chairman said.
"We do not have the data yet," said committee chairman Idrus Marham.
He declined to comment on Adnan's statement asking Yudhoyono to take responsibility for the case.
The committee has questioned, among others, Vice President Boediono, who was the Bank Indonesia governor at a time the bailout was extended, former vice president Jusuf Kalla and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Idrus, who is the Golkar secretary -general, said the committee would have to regroup to decide whether to summon the President.
Adnan Buyung also asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the Bank Century case to determine whether the decision to bail out the bank was in line with state policy.
"If the KPK discovers the bailout was not in accordance with state policy then it must investigate President Yudhoyono," he said.
He said the result of the investigation should then be submitted to the Constitutional Court.
President denies replacing Sri Mulyani
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has denied that he will replace Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati with the head of the Fiscal Policy Agency Anggito Abimanyu in connection with the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$ 736.84 million) Century Bank bailout scandal.
“The information is not true. There is no official statement about changing Mulyani and Anggito Abimanyu,” the presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said in Ngawi, East Java on Monday.
He told tempointeraktif.com that the president had not held any meetings to discuss a possible cabinet reshuffle.
Some politicians from the Golongan Karya (Golkar) party have said that the president may reached an agreement with its chairman Aburizal Bakrie to replace the minister with Anggito in February.
Several other sources have said that Yudhoyono was disappointed with Mulyani's decision, made during a meeting with then Bank Indonesia (BI) governor Boediono in November 2008, to salvage the bank using bailout funds.
The sources, who asked for anonymity, said the disappointment was more due to the minister's failure to consult with the president on the bailout decision, although Sri Mulyani has insisted she reported all her moves. (ewd)
“The information is not true. There is no official statement about changing Mulyani and Anggito Abimanyu,” the presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said in Ngawi, East Java on Monday.
He told tempointeraktif.com that the president had not held any meetings to discuss a possible cabinet reshuffle.
Some politicians from the Golongan Karya (Golkar) party have said that the president may reached an agreement with its chairman Aburizal Bakrie to replace the minister with Anggito in February.
Several other sources have said that Yudhoyono was disappointed with Mulyani's decision, made during a meeting with then Bank Indonesia (BI) governor Boediono in November 2008, to salvage the bank using bailout funds.
The sources, who asked for anonymity, said the disappointment was more due to the minister's failure to consult with the president on the bailout decision, although Sri Mulyani has insisted she reported all her moves. (ewd)
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