REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CIREBON – Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) may come with a controversial idea by suggesting Indonesians not to pay taxes if the government still fails to increase the quality of tax management, while government is supposed to allocate its revenue for humanitarian project. The idea emerged during NU national convention in Cirebon, West Java.   

NU executive Board Member, Arwani Faishal, said government was not allowed to collect taxes from the poor. "The principle is that taxes are burden for people, especially the poor. It is against Islamic law," Faishal said.

He emphasized that the tax fatwa was not an act against government; instead, it was a warning for government that taxes must be useful for people's welfare. Chairman of recommendation team, Masduki Baidlowi, said NU convention urged government to be more transparent and responsible over tax income and its allocation. 

The official recommendation was given yesterday to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by the Chairman of NU, Said Aqil Siroj. SBY welcomed the recommendations. He said that government would study, evaluate, and proceed the recommendations.

The Convention also recommends government not to be selective on eradicating corruption. It also suggests the improvement of National Exam (UN) system. "We have little different perception of data. But overall, the recommendations are positive and constructive for main problems in Indonesia," SBY said.

SBY only gave normative statement over tax by saying that tax was the source of state revenue. He explained that taxes contributed to state budget. State budget can be higher if taxes can be managed better.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance Agus Martowardojo said government had been more transparent and accountable on state budget. He said that the transparency led to disclosure of corruption case.

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