Tax Officer with 50 Million Won Annual Salary Driving a Supercar? ... Tax Resistance Spreads in Indonesia

Reported Assets of 5 Billion Won, Allegations of Illicit Wealth Raised
20-Year-Old Son Boasts Luxurious Lifestyle with Imported Cars on SNS

In Indonesia, a tax official has accumulated assets worth more than 100 times his annual salary, sparking a tax payment refusal movement.

On the 28th (local time), according to the daily Kompas and others, Rafael Alun Trisambodo, head of the tax office in the South Jakarta 2nd district, reported assets worth 56 billion rupiah (approximately 4.9 billion won).

Tax Officer with 50 Million Won Annual Salary Driving a Supercar? ... Tax Resistance Spreads in Indonesia

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Recon

This amount is similar to the asset declaration of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (58 billion rupiah), while Rafael, a mid-level manager, earns a maximum of 46.47 million rupiah (about 404,000 won) per month including bonuses.

Various suspicions arose over a public official earning less than 50 million won annually declaring assets worth 5 billion won. Especially since most of his assets are buildings and land, the actual value is likely much higher than the declared amount. Furthermore, there are indications that luxury items were not declared, fueling public outrage.

Attention to the mid-level manager’s assets intensified due to his son’s violent incident. Rafael’s son, Mario Dandi Satrio (20), intervened in a fight between his girlfriend and a 17-year-old male student on the 20th, assaulting the male student. The student was seriously injured and admitted to the intensive care unit.

Mario, a university student, appeared at the scene driving a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon worth about 100 million won, attracting attention. Numerous photos flaunting expensive imported cars and Harley-Davidson motorcycles were posted on social media, linking the issue to his father’s wealth. Rafael is suspected of abusing his position as a tax official to receive illegal money.

Locally, a hashtag encouraging people not to pay taxes is trending. As signs of tax resistance emerged, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani dismissed Rafael on the 24th.