Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Transportation Ministry should defer the implementation of progressive tax on old and big-capacity cars as the public can still not rely on the existing public transportation system, Walhi, an environmentalist organization, said.
"The government should not impose progressive tax on old and big-capacity cars yet because it should restructure public transportation first," Slamet Daroyni, executive director of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said here Friday.
The progressive tax could reduce the number of private cars entering Jakarta and air pollution in Indonesia`s big cities but the policy would not solve the basic problems in the transportation sector, he said.
The lack of security, convenience and speed in public transportation had caused people to avoid using it, he said.
Slamet said official statements that the motive for introducing the progressive tax system was to reduce air pollution were to be doubted.
"I a more inclinded to believe that the progressive tax is designed just to increase the governement`s tax income," he said.
He expressed regret that the government lacked the political will to improve the public transportation system in Jakarta and that the Jakarta city administration had decided to widen busy Sudirman and Thamrin streets after the launching of the TransJakarta busway system.
The Jakarta Legislative Assembly`s plan to make six more toll roads within Jakarta proved that the government did not have any political will to reduce air pollution in the capital city, he said.
He also expressed regret that the government had asked automotive producers to make environment-friendly cars while failing to provide motorists with environment-friendly fuel.
Meanwhile, Iskandar Abubakar, the Transportation Ministry`s director general for land transportation, said last Wednesday the government intended to raise the tax on old cars and import duty on big-capacity cars to encourage people to use public transportation.
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