Sri Mulyani's "Hate But Miss" Story: Often Collects Taxes, But Is Also Annoyed When Reminded To Pay Taxes

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (Photo: Screenshot of the Ministry of Finance's virtual acquaintance)

JAKARTA – Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani may be the person most responsible for ensuring state revenues can reach the target. Due to this burden, the Minister of Finance sometimes has to disseminate tax regulations to various regions in Indonesia.

However, there is an interesting story when he met a number of prominent taxpayers aka super rich in Jakarta last week. The Minister of Finance realized that actually everyone did not feel comfortable being reminded of the obligation to pay taxes. The state treasurer called it the phrase "hate but miss".

"We are not happy if we have to be reminded of the obligation to pay taxes, it is a human thing," he said.

In fact, as Minister of Finance, he feels the same way. He sometimes resents it.

"Anyone, even the Minister of Finance and the Director General of Taxes, doesn't like being reminded to pay taxes," he said.

However, the Minister of Finance gave an understanding that taxes are essentially a mutual cooperation obligation to participate in the development of the country. It seems that this is the message that the Minister of Finance wants to convey in his sentence, hates but misses: he wants to be avoided but is a necessity that must be fulfilled for the sake of the wider interest.

"We know that taxes are very important for a country, especially a country like Indonesia with a large population. Our goals are big, noble and high. So no goals can be achieved without resources such as taxes," he explained.

For information, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani and her staff are currently busy with two major taxation agendas. The first is the socialization of the Law on the Harmonization of Tax Regulations (HPP). Then the second is the socialization of the Law on Central and Regional Financial Relations (HPP).

Meanwhile, throughout 2021, the tax revenue sector recorded Rp1,277.5 trillion or 103.9 percent of the 2021 APBN target which was Rp1,229.6 trillion.

Then customs and excise revenues reached Rp. 269 trillion or 125.1 percent of the target of Rp. 215 trillion.

Furthermore, the non-tax state revenue sector (PNBP) is IDR 452 trillion or 151.6 percent of the APBN ceiling of IDR 298.2 trillion.

Meanwhile, in the 2022 APBN, a tax revenue target of IDR 1,510 trillion is set, consisting of IDR 1,265 trillion in tax revenues, IDR 245 trillion in customs and excise, and IDR 335.6 trillion in PNBP.

"So, like it or not, taxes are really needed as the backbone of the country," closed the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani.