National Lawmaker says

NU's suggestion to replace tax with alms should be considered

NU Online  ·  Rabu, 19 September 2012 | 00:22 WIB

Jakarta, NU Online
The suggestion of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) to replace tax with alms should be considered, especially especially by the tax director general and finance minister.<>

The statement was made by House of Representatives deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso here recently, saying the capital punishment suggested by NU should only be imposed on repeat offenders. 

Priyo said imposing capital punishment had benefits and pitfalls. He added that it should be imposed not only on corruptors, but also on terrorists and drug convicts.

“Basically they [NU] just want to give shock therapy. I think it should only be imposed on those who commit [the crimes] repeatedly,” he said.

The House Commission VIII member said it was not prudent for NU to call on people not to pay tax because the country depends on the state budget, which is 70 percent funded by tax.

In his opening speech at an NU conference in Cirebon, West Java on Saturday, chairman Said Aqil Siradj said that the pubic’s obligation to pay taxes should be reviewed, and maybe even be halted, until a remedy to corruption is found.

NU has around 90 million members across the country.

Editor : Sudarto Murtaufiq