Indonesia lags behind other countries: Vice President Kalla
Indonesia is lagging behind other countries in economic development because of its own wrong policies, not because it lacks capability or potential, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla said.
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"If we had not spent so much money on fuel subsidies in the past 10 years, we would have been able to build various kinds of infrastructure,” he pointed out during the launch of a book, entitled: "Widjojo Nitisastro: The Adviser of Kings,” on May 30.
Our policies must be evaluated, Kalla said, underlining that Indonesian economic growth has not been proportional to its capabilities.
Much of Indonesia’s citizens keep their assets abroad. Cumulatively, they would exceed the country's national gross domestic product, he argued.
To push state revenue and national financial development, the government is drafting a tax amnesty law as an instrument to bring back Indonesian assets to the country, he stated.
The tax amnesty bill, if endorsed into law, will increase tax receipts by 180 trillion Rp (US$13.14 million), according to Kalla.
