Tax Incentives For Indonesian Philanthropy: The Balance of Effectiveness of Pull Factor and The Role of The State

Philanthropy is not merely a fund-raising activity. It means an activity that has strong relation with social activity. Philanthropy is significant to consider in building public participation in governance or at least in helping the government’s role to implement the allocation function related to social welfare. In Indonesia, tax incentives for philanthropy are categorized into two, namely tax exemption and tax deduction. Tax exemption applies to donations or income derived from non-profit organizations, while tax deduction applies to the donor or philanthropists, both individuals and companies. In addition, there are incentives for property taxes and tax on motor vehicles provided by the provincial/ local government. In practice, philanthropy still leaves tax-related issues that must be shouldered by donors, recipients, and donation collectors. This issue is crucial because it has the potential to reduce the attractiveness of tax incentives to encourage people to engage in philanthropy activities in Indonesia.   This study aims to evaluate the tax policy on philanthropy in Indonesia. This study applied constructivism paradigm. The data are collected through documentation, literature review, and field studies through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). The data are analyzed using mixed approach. The findings of this study indicate that the lack of dynamics in current tax policy is not in harmony with the rapid development of increasingly varied philanthropic activities. Therefore, the donors and recipients face uncertainty related to taxation on philanthropy including tax treatment and tax incentives that can be obtained from the government. Applicable tax policies have not been able to provide incentives for various types of taxes but Income Tax in the form of tax deduction and tax exemption. Unfortunately, this type of incentive is relatively unappealing to philanthropic activists. In other words, the policy of tax incentives on philanthropy activities has not been a pull factor for the community to be more actively involved in philanthropy activities.  Furthermore, the issues associated with tax administration are still found in its implementation. Regulatory improvement is necessary, including accommodation of incentives for all types of taxes on philanthropy in Indonesia, as an appreciation for citizens who have strengthened the governmentu0027s role in the prosperity of society.