We have yet to get reports on claims or commitment from conglomerates keen on bringing home funds from overseas in response to the Tax Amnesty Program. We can understand why. Tax Amnesty can lead to contentious socio-economic issues, especially when politicized. Many of Indonesia’s successful conglomerates are of Chinese descent, and they control a sizeable portion of the economy. This has, for long, been a part of the underlying racial tension in Indonesia. There’s also that general tension between the rich and the poor. So an issue like Tax Amnesty—where tax evaders are given the chance to make amends—can be spun out of control to a highly polarizing issue (such as the rich being catered to rather than the poor). Mix race in this issue and suddenly you may have a potentially menacing cocktail. Keeping low key may thus be of prime interest. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know what’s happening as we’re talking about a potentially huge amount of capital flowing into the economy. The key question is where will the money go to? Well, on this occasion let’s look into Sjamsul Nursalim, one of Indonesia’s major conglomerates, and see whether we can find a glimpse into whether or not he’s participating in the Tax Amnesty Program.To subscribe please click here
