Garut Regent: Local Government will Punish Hotel and Restaurant Tax Evasion


Garut, The Indonesia Sentinel -  Garut Regent Rudy Gunawan reminded hotel and restaurant owners as taxpayers to be honest in reporting their tax obligations. The Garut Regency Government will take firm action against anyone who evades hotel and restaurant taxes in Garut Regency.

He said this following the first semester local tax report he received from the Garut Regency Regional Revenue Agency (Bapenda).

"The local government will criminalize hotel and restaurant tax evasion," Rudy said, in his written statement, Thursday night (07/20/2023).

The Garut Regent assessed that there was something odd in the reporting and depositing of hotel and restaurant taxes in Garut Regency. Many tax collectors are dishonest in reporting and depositing to the Regional Government.

"There is a hotel that has 100 rooms but its occupancy reports only 30 percent, if it is true that the hotel has gone bankrupt, I ask and remind hotel and restaurant owners to be honest," he said.

The Garut Regent again reminded hotel and restaurant owners to be honest or at least provide logical reporting according to existing regulations.

"Because based on the Regional Tax Regulation (Number) 1 Year 2016, it is confidential, we cannot publish it to the public, I want to open it to the public so that the public can monitor it, but we cannot," he said.

He gave an example, if the administration is correct and systemic, there is a newly opened coffee cafe that can pay around 47 million per month for taxes to the region. That means consumers who buy at the place are almost 500 million per month.

Following up on this, Rudy added, his party will issue a warrant to the Civil Servant Investigator (PPNS) to conduct an investigation into allegations of tax evasion by tax collectors, including internationally managed hotels.

"As well as international managed hotels, paying almost 170 million per month, in a short time I will issue a warrant to PPNS to investigate tax evasion by tax collectors," he said. (jabarprov.go.id)