"Today, I have asked the governors to take concrete steps to eradicate illegal levies that residents are made to pay not only to procure documents such as identity cards and land titles but also to access services at ports, offices, hospitals and so on," he said while opening a coordination meeting with governors from across Indonesia at the State Palace here on Thursday.
The practice of charging illegal levies must be curbed and eventually completely eliminated, he stressed at the meeting which was also attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
"Through close cooperation, the operation to eradicate illegal levies will turn out to be even more effective," he noted.
The problem must be resolved collectively by following up on public complaints and by expediting government programs, he emphasized.
"Last week, we started the operation to eradicate illegal levies. I stressed that it did not matter whether amounts involved are small or large. I have received tens of thousands of complaints of people being charged illegal levies with amounts ranging from a thousand to millions of rupiahs," he disclosed.
Illegal levies not only put people in great difficulties but also impose a high cost on the economy. Consequently, they blunt the competitive edge of the Indonesian economy, he underlined.
"For many years, people had come to see illegal levies as a normal phenomenon and we had become pessimistic about curbing them altogether. Today I have asked all the governors to take concrete steps to eradicate illegal levies," he concluded.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
