BPMIGAS says 5 oil, gas contractors had paid tax debts
Saturday, February 21 2009 - 01:31 AM WIB
After a meeting with the contractors, BPMIGAS Chairman R. Priyono said on Friday that all of them had fulfilled their tax obligations.
?It seems that the minister of finance was provided with erroneous information by the director general of the budget,? he said. ?All of the contractors have paid their taxes and this has been confirmed by the director general of taxes.?
He said that should any contractors fail to discharge their tax liabilities, BPMIGAS would not hesitate to take firm action against them.
According to a document presented at a meeting between Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and a House of Representatives committee Thursday, five oil and gas firms- ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc, Joint Operating Body (JOB) of Pertamina and Golden Spike Raja Blok, Kangean Energy Indonesia Ltd, Santos UK (Kakap 2) Ltd and JOB Kodeco Energy Co Ltd - owe the state US$113 million in unpaid income tax.
The document states that biggest debtor is Kangean with US$45 million in debt, followed by JOB Kodeco Energy Co Ltd with total debt at $32,23 million, ExxonMobil owes US$22,82 million of unpaid income tax, JOB Pertamina ?Golden Spike US$2,39 million.
Priyono did not give details on the inaccuracy of the document. ?You better ask the directorate general for taxation,? he said.
But, the director general of taxation Darmin Nasution could not give clear answers. He suggested journalist ask his colleagues Anny Ratnawati, director general of budget management, for confirmation.
?We care still pressing claims and seeking clarification. Several contractors have begun the payment,? said Any through SMS.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Development Finance Controller (BPKP) Didi Widayadi said that as of December 2008, the five contractors have paid US$37.45 million. Thus, the remaining unpaid income tax is about US$83.49 million.? Didi Said.
ExxonMobil spokesperson Maman Budimna has denied the report saying that the reportedly $32 million debt mentioned was still under legal dispute. ?ExxonMobil always fulfills its tax obligations,? he said
Spokesperson for Santos, Dody Mochtar, said the company had paid the income tax. ?We paid the US$2.39 million tax by Jan, 31 2009,? he said
Pertamina gave the same response, Spokesperson Anang Rizkani Noor said that under the JOB scheme, Pertamina shared responsibility with its partner, The Golden Spike Raja Blok Ltd.
?Pertamina has paid its portion of income tax. Maybe you could confirm with Golden Spike about the unpaid income tax mentioned by the Finance Ministry,? he said. (*)