No New Tax Witch Hunts: Finance Minister Purbaya Vows No Retroactive Probes for Amnesty Participants

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — In a move designed to calm jittery markets and restore investor confidence, Indonesia’s Finance Minister Purbaya has issued a "hands-off" directive regarding past tax amnesty participants. The Minister is pivoting away from aggressive retroactive audits, promising that the government will prioritize business certainty over digging through old files.

For multinational corporations and high-net-worth investors, Indonesia’s tax environment has often felt like a moving target. By explicitly ruling out new investigations into disclosed assets and vowing never to launch another tax amnesty "under his watch," Purbaya is attempting to end the cycle of fiscal whiplash. This policy shift is intended to stabilize the domestic capital market and encourage the repatriation of offshore capital, as the ministry moves toward a "business as usual" enforcement model.

Ending the "Amnesty Cycle"

The Minister addressed concerns that the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) — the nation's tax authority — was overreaching in its follow-ups on the Voluntary Disclosure Program (PPS). Purbaya clarified that the government is only interested in specific, unfulfilled promises made during the filing process, not in reopening settled cases.

"If it’s not very important, there’s no need to chase it—except for those who made promises, like I mentioned earlier, intending to pay a certain amount but haven't paid yet. That will be pursued, but as for re-examining again? No need," Purbaya stated during a press briefing in Jakarta on Monday, May 11, 2026.

The Minister took a surprisingly candid stance on why he opposes future amnesties. "As long as I am Finance Minister, I will not conduct another tax amnesty," Purbaya declared. He explained that these programs create "vulnerabilities" for tax officials, often leading to legal entanglements and corruption allegations.

"I feel sorry for those people. Instead of that, let’s just run proper tax procedures," he added.

The "Big Picture" Growth Story

Purbaya also hit back at critics who labeled the recent 5.8% growth figures as a "low-base effect" anomaly. He argued that the growth is real, driven by a deliberate strategy to front-load government spending in the first few months of the year, including early payments to PT Pertamina (Persero), the state energy giant, and PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), the state fertilizer producer.

"If the macro numbers are good, it’s almost impossible for the micro numbers to be bad," Purbaya argued, dismissing the disconnect between top-line GDP and ground-level sentiment. "Household consumption growth is at 5.5%, the highest I can recall. This shows that people's purchasing power is actually improving due to various government policies."

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Deadlines for Miners and Exporters

Looking ahead, the Minister confirmed that two major regulatory shifts are arriving in June 2026. First, a new Government Regulation (PP) will likely hike royalties for coal and nickel across the board. "The discussion is finished. The PP is being processed... it looks like it will apply starting early June," Purbaya noted after a meeting with Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.

Secondly, the government will tighten the screws on Natural Resource (SDA) exporters. The new Export Proceeds (DHE) rules, effective June 1, aim to stop "leaks" where exporters convert funds into Rupiah only to immediately move them back offshore through smaller banks. Purbaya expects this to significantly bolster foreign exchange reserves within a month of implementation.

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