DGT Reviews Gold ETF Tax; Final Income Tax Proposed
JAKARTA, DDTCNews - The Directorate General of Taxes (DGT) is gathering various inputs from stakeholders regarding tax provisions applicable to gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This topic is among the subjects covered by national media today, Monday (24/8/2026).
DGT Director of Tax Extension, Service and Public Relations, Inge Diana Rismawanti, said that various inputs are being considered given that, to date, there are no tax provisions governing gold ETFs.
"Indeed, up to this point there are no tax provisions relating to ETFs, whether from the income tax or VAT perspective," said Inge.
Regarding income tax treatment of gold ETFs, Inge said there is already a proposal for the government to impose a final income tax on gold ETF transactions, rather than the non-final Article 22 income tax.
"Article 22 income tax is non-final. However, given that ETF transactions are real-time in nature, a final income tax has been proposed. This is still being reviewed at the Ministry of Finance," said Inge.
The government has been preparing tax policy to accommodate electronic gold receipt (EGR) transactions since last month. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, believes that special attention is needed regarding VAT and Article 22 income tax treatment of EGRs as the underlying asset of gold ETFs.
An EGR is proof of gold ownership in electronic form, issued on the basis of the underlying physical gold ownership.
On the other hand, a gold ETF is a mutual fund product whose units are traded on a stock exchange with gold as the underlying asset. As such, this ETF is designed to track movements in the gold price.
"Gold ETFs not only add to investment options, but also enhance liquidity. EGRs are securities that can be recorded as securities within a gold ETF portfolio," said Airlangga.
Airlangga hopes that the presence of EGRs and gold ETFs will connect parties in the capital market, ranging from investment managers, custodian banks, bullion banks and dealers, through to stock exchanges.
Beyond that, the presence of gold ETFs also allows insurance companies to invest in gold-based assets. To date, insurance companies have not been permitted to invest stated capital in gold.
In addition to this news, there is commentary on how the tax deposit mechanism is expected to continue driving growth in other tax revenue items in 2027. There is also a discussion of DGT's efforts to strengthen law enforcement and compliance.
Below is a full review of the tax articles.
Taxes Remain a Challenge in Bullion Ecosystem & Gold ETF Development
Airlangga considers taxation to remain one of the key challenges in the development of the bullion ecosystem and gold ETF transactions in Indonesia.
He believes that bullion business activities and gold ETF transactions need to receive the same tax treatment as other financial sectors.
"For ETFs, the substantive policy expectation is to position the electronic gold receipt as a security and to have income tax policy that supports the bullion ecosystem. As such, this is to be treated the same as other financial products. Therefore, bullion outside of ETFs can also request the same treatment," said Airlangga. (DDTCNews, Kontan, CNBC Indonesia)
DGT Continues to Develop Multidoor Approach to Law Enforcement
DGT will continue to develop the multidoor approach to support law enforcement and collection activities in the coming year. Under the multidoor approach, law enforcement is carried out in an integrated manner by utilising various general instruments available.
Implementation of the multidoor approach is supported by the strengthening of data- and risk-based supervision through the optimisation of data and information exchange, the utlisation of information technology and the development of compliance intelligence.
Inge noted that the tax authority continues to carry out a series of actions to close tax avoidance loopholes. "These efforts aim to narrow the loopholes for tax evasion, whilst also ensuring that every violation is addressed pursuant to statutory provisions," she said. (Bisnis Indonesia)
Deposit Effect: Other Tax Items Set to Rise Again Next Year
The tax deposit mechanism is projected to continue having a significant impact on the tax revenue profile both this year and next year. Referring to the Financial Note of the 2027 Draft State Budget, other tax revenue this year is estimated to reach IDR126.9 trillion, growing 74.1% from the other tax revenue realisation in 2025 of IDR72.9 trillion.
"This growth is supported primarily by the continued utilisation of the tax deposit mechanism as well as the sustained receipt of revenue from tax administration and tax collection," the government wrote in the Financial Note of the 2027 Draft State Budget.
In 2027, other tax revenue is proposed to rise again to IDR159 trillion, growing 25.2%. Growth in other taxes in 2027 is projected to be less significant than in 2026 owing to the normalisation of the impact of the deposit mechanism. (DDTCNews)
DGT Affirms that Attorneys Must Not Provide Misleading Information
DGT has affirmed that an attorney of a taxpayer must not provide misleading information or inaccurate data in carrying out their role.
Senior Expert Tax Instructor at the DGT Directorate of Tax Extension, Service and Public Relations, Eddy Triyono, said that an attorney must act with integrity, ethics and professionalism in carrying out their role as a taxpayer's attorney. This includes providing accurate and complete information.
"An attorney must not provide misleading or false information. If a taxpayer's data should show 10 assets but the attorney states only 3 assets, that is not permissible," he said. (DDTCNews)
2027 State Budget Draft Law Retains Minister's Authority to Audit Revenue
The 2027 State Budget Draft Law contains a clause enabling the minister of finance to examine and audit state revenue. This authority is already contained in Law 17/2025 on the 2026 State Budget and is proposed to remain in force next year to optimise state revenue.
"In the context of optimising state revenue, the minister of finance is authorised to examine and/or audit state revenue," reads Article 37 paragraph (1) of the 2027 State Budget Draft Law submitted by the government to the House of Representatives.
The examinations and audits of state revenue referred to may be carried out through a joint audit programme. (DDTCNews) (dik)
