IDAI Urges Ministry Of Finance To Study Taxes For Practice Doctors In Hospitals

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) suddenly asked the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) to postpone the reporting of annual public taxes. Not only that, but IDAI also urges the Ministry of Finance to review taxes that must be paid by doctors who practice in hospitals.

This was requested because more than five thousand pediatricians admitted that they objected to the tax policy contained in the Regulation of the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia Number 168 of 2023. This was considered to have an impact on doctors who mainly served JKN patients.

This is because in the regulation, the doctor's income tax is imposed based on gross income, before deducting profit sharing with hospitals and operational costs. In practice, doctors only get a medical service tariff because they have to share with the hospital, but the tax calculated remains from the gross income paid by the patient.

This means that doctors pay taxes on (income) that they do not receive, the contents of the objection letter for the policy evaluation application signed by the Chairman of IDAI, dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, on March 18, 2025.

Tax cuts from gross income also make doctors burdened with higher progressive taxes on their income from various sources, such as seminars, training, and other consulting services.

"This has the potential to make doctors continue to have to pay an additional 5 percent to 30 percent of the real income they receive, in the end it will be even more burdensome," the letter continued.

The interest of doctors to serve JKN patients is also considered to have the potential to decline due to this policy. Moreover, most pediatricians in hospitals serve JKN patients using standard rates set by the government.

Therefore, doctors who are members of IDAI have called for a postponement of tax reporting in 2024. They also asked for the opportunity to discuss with the Ministry of Finance in order to review the policy.

"We invite the Ministry of Finance to have a dialogue with representatives of IDAI so that this policy can be reviewed by considering the principle of justice for doctors who serve the community, especially JKN patients," he added.