19 Years of DDTC: Educating Tax Beyond Boundaries for Indonesia

JAKARTA, DDTCNews – DDTC turns 19 years old today, Thursday (20/8/2026). Marking its 19th year anniversary, DDTC embraces the spirit of Educating Tax Beyond Boundaries.

This theme reflects DDTC's steadfast commitment to continually broadening its contribution to the field of taxation. That contribution is also realised through education, knowledge development, research and the dissemination of tax information to the public.

DDTC continues to strive to ensure that tax knowledge does not remain confined to its internal environment, but is able to deliver a wider impact, ranging from improving public tax literacy and tax awareness to developing the competence of professionals and contributing to establishing a better Indonesian tax system.

As an expression of gratitude for 19 years of progress, DDTC held an anniversary celebration together with the entire DDTC family. The occasion also served as an opportunity to celebrate the journey, togetherness and the countless achievements that have been attained.

The DDTC 19th anniversary celebration was held at DDTC Hall, Menara DDTC, in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere. The event featured a communal breakfast, traditional Nusantara snacks, a herbal drink stall and various games.

Dressed in batik, the event became a space to celebrate not only DDTC's growing age, but also the journey and togetherness of the people behind it. The morning event was also attended by both DDTC Founders, Darussalam and Danny Septriadi, who have steered DDTC's journey since its incorporation 19 years ago.

"Alhamdulillah, at the age of 19, we are all witnesses to the extraordinary journey of DDTC," said Darussalam.

Darussalam expressed his gratitude for DDTC's development over nearly two decades. From an institution that grew in the domestic environment, DDTC has continued to develop and record various achievements at the international level.

In his view, these various achievements are inseparable from the cooperation, contributions and performance of the entire DDTC family. "DDTC's extraordinary achievements are the result of our collective cooperation and performance. As such, this is our shared achievement as the greater DDTC family," he said.

Darussalam also urged the entire DDTC family not to rest on its laurels. DDTC needs to continue to develop, broaden its contribution and record even greater achievements in the future.

Moreover, DDTC's development is expected to be consistently accompanied by ever-greater benefits delivered to external parties. DDTC must remain relevant to the public, the tax community, the business world, the government, academia and the various stakeholders within the tax ecosystem.

Education for Indonesian Taxation

Education has been integral to DDTC's endeavour since its inception. Tax knowledge is not only continually developed, but also shared with as many parties as possible to deliver a broader impact on society and the Indonesian tax system.

The spirit of Educating Tax Beyond Boundaries encapsulates that commitment. For DDTC, there is more to education than a mere transfer of knowledge. Education is part of the effort to build understanding, enhance competence, strengthen tax literacy and encourage the establishment of an increasingly tax-literate society.

Tax literacy plays a pivotal role because taxation ultimately intersects with almost every layer of society. A sound understanding of tax is crucial for the public to be cognisant of their tax rights and obligations as well as the role of taxes in national life.

In a broader context, improving literacy constitutes one of the foundations for building a better relationship between the state and taxpayers. A sound tax system requires a public that has access to information, understands the rules and is able to participate consciously within that system.

At the same time, tax knowledge no longer has rigid boundaries. Economic developments, technology, and cross-border transactions have made tax issues increasingly complex and interconnected. Tax knowledge must therefore continue to develop beyond the boundaries of academic disciplines, professions, sectors, and even jurisdictions.

Accordingly, DDTC's 19-year journey is inseparable from efforts to build a tax knowledge ecosystem. Those efforts are realised through education and training, research, publications, information dissemination, human resources development, and the provision of tax literature that can be utilised by the public.

Through these various channels, the knowledge developed by DDTC is intended not to remain merely an institutional asset. Knowledge must be disseminated, discussed, tested and ultimately deliver benefits to the development of Indonesian taxation.

This spirit was affirmed through two records from the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) achieved by DDTC ahead of its 19th anniversary.

First, DDTC Library set a MURI record as the Tax Library with the Largest Collection. The award was presented at DDTC Library on 10 July 2026.

This record reinforces DDTC Library's position as one of the important components of the tax literacy ecosystem that DDTC has built.

Second, DDTC Academy set a MURI record as the First Provider of International Tax and Transfer Pricing Training in Indonesia, Recognised by the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT-UK). This recognition affirms the international dimension of the tax education development undertaken by DDTC.

Both achievements simultaneously illustrate the meaning of Educating Tax Beyond Boundaries. On one hand, DDTC continues to strengthen sources of knowledge through literature. On the other, that knowledge is developed and disseminated through education connected to international tax standards and developments.

However, the orientation remains the same, namely, that the capacity and knowledge built should continue to deliver benefits to Indonesian taxation.

Knowledge That Returns to Society

Future tax challenges require human resources that not only understand the rules, but are also able to view tax issues from a broader perspective. Human development is therefore one of the important elements in DDTC's journey.

Through the Human Resources Development Programme (HRDP), DDTC provides its professionals with the opportunity to continually develop their competence, including through formal education at leading universities both domestically and abroad.

Most recently, two DDTC professionals successfully obtained LL.M. degrees in international tax law from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna), Austria. Both completed a 10-month programme of study and addressed issues of international services taxation in their respective theses.

For DDTC, human resources development is not solely an investment for internal purposes. The knowledge and experience gained must be shared once again through research, publications, education, professional services and various other activities that benefit the public and the tax ecosystem.

Accordingly, the greater the capacity built within DDTC, the larger the contribution it is expected to deliver externally.

Entering its 19th year, DDTC continues its journey with the same spirit, namely to keep learning, keep sharing and keep extending the boundaries of its contribution to taxation.

Educating Tax Beyond Boundaries is an affirmation that education is not merely a supporting activity. It is an integral part of how DDTC contributes to Indonesia’s tax system by expanding tax literacy, fostering a more tax-literate society, strengthening the capacity of stakeholders and helping promote a better tax system.

“Because, for DDTC, knowledge finds its meaning not when it stops with those who possess it, but when it is continually shared and delivers an impact on society,” Darussalam added. (dik)