TAX DIRECTORATE GENERAL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE

Jakarta, Feb 9 (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Tax plans to conduct joint operations with the police to deal with those involved in tax cases, Muhammad Tjiptadjo said.

"We will cooperate with the national and regional police commands. We will conduct joint operations," the director general said on the sidelines of his briefing to a police leadership meeting here on Tuesday.

He said the joint operations would be part of the plan to settle big tax cases in the regions.

He said the cooperation with the police on the matter had actually been long and running quite well.

He said when the office took tax payers hostage for not paying their tax in East Java the police had given a full support to the office.

"The tax payers' holding in East Java was possible because of the police' support. Unless the police supported us we would not be able to do it," he said.

He said based on the law, tax officers could arrest tax payers and have them put at the penitentiary, adding they would only be freed after they paid their obligations.

Tjiptardjo said his office also cooperated with the police when investigating a tax case in the AA Group.

That is why the office will expand its cooperation with the police to cover the regions, he said.

The national police's chief intelligence, Commissioner General Ito Sumardi said the police was ready to investigate cases of tax manipulation.

"To deal with tax cases the police would use the results of audit by the Directorate General of Tax," he said.

The crimes to be investigated include document forgery, manipulation, false information, embezzlement and money laundering, he said.

In the case of tax payers who do not pay their tax it will be dealt with by the Directorate General of Tax, he said.

"If they would not pay the tax they will be put in jails. That will be dealt with by the Directorate General of Tax. But a case of document forgery will be dealt with by the police but the tax case itself will be dealt with by tax officers," he said.

He said in dealing with tax payers who avoided paying taxes the police would follow the tax regulation.

To support the government's effort in collecting unpaid taxes the police would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the finance ministry.

"It is for intensifying actions and legal efforts against tax evadors," he said.

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