Furious That His Subordinates Were Bribed, Sri Mulyani Gave A Strong Warning To Tax Consultants And Taxpayers: This Is Destroying The Foundations Of The Country

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani is quite angry with the alleged bribery case involving unscrupulous employees of the Directorate General of Taxes. Unmitigated, the former boss of the World Bank took the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to thoroughly investigate this case.

"On this occasion, as the Minister of Finance, I ask all taxpayers (WP) as well as taxpayer attorneys and tax consultants to take part in maintaining the integrity of the Directorate General of Taxes by not promising or trying to give rewards or gifts or bribes to employees," he said during a conference. press virtually, Wednesday, March 3.

Sri Mulyani added that the domino effect of bribery does not only damage the credibility of the institution but also has the potential to spread to a larger scope.

"Efforts (bribery) made like that damage not only the Directorate General of Taxes or individuals but also damage the foundations of our country," he said.

In his statement, the Minister of Finance explained that this case began with a public report which informed that there were indications of tax irregularities in early 2020.

Following up on this matter, the relevant ranks moved quickly by optimizing the function of the internal compliance unit. In addition, the Ministry of Finance is also collaborating with the KPK in handling this bribery case.

"We are currently conducting research on taxpayers who are suspected of being involved and if there is evidence of tax underpayment, the tax director general will follow up in accordance with applicable regulations," he added.

"I also ask all taxpayers, taxpayer attorneys, and tax consultants to carry out their tax obligations in accordance with applicable regulations. If the taxpayer or the taxpayer's attorney sees a violation, he will immediately report the violation to us, "he said.

Meanwhile, the fate of individual employees of the Directorate General of Taxes who are suspected of accepting bribes has now been relieved. "In order to facilitate the investigation process by the KPK, the concerned person has resigned and is being processed from the administrative side of ASN (state civil servants)," said Sri Mulyani.