Does anyone know what the "punishment" is for non-compliance?
Call me "Mr. Simple" but didn't they have a system a few years ago that charged everyone that left the county 150k at the border? Maybe that was too easy?
I really can't think of a more complicated or expensive way of doing this. I mean don't the police have other things to do like checking hotel rooms for non-married couples or racing around looking for fly-tippers filling up the rivers and creeks with plastic rubbish?
CONSEQUENCES
For Foreign Tourists who don't Pay Foreign Tourist Levy
1. Travel Restriction: Foreign tourists who don't pay the required tourist levy will be restricted from visiting Bali.
2. Administrative Sanctions: In addition to travel restrictions, non-compliance may result in the following administrative actions:
a. Verbal reprimand, documented in the Love Bali Application.
b. Formal written reprimand.
Negara said, “At the airport, there are no payment counters that intensively charge fees. So far the payment system uses an application, and the existing offers can only attract a few foreign tourists so we need to add more counters [at the airport].”
https://thebalisun.com/officials-acknowledge-flaws-in-bali-tourism-tax-system/
Why there are no payment counter at the airport ? is it because they do not get full endorsement from the central government ? Immigration officers are hired by the central government, not under the control of the Balinese provincial government.
"With this in mind, he has deployed the Tourism Satpol Police Units to conduct spot checks on tourists across Bali in the coming weeks."
Tourism Satpol policemen are not the Indonesian Police Force. They are civilian levy enforcers hired by the local Tourism department. They have no power to arrest people. All they can do is the handle the person to the police. The Indonesian Police get their salary from the central government, not by Balinese provincial government.
If they can not even ask the immigration Officers, border control to collect the levy, in the immigration entry point, let alone asking the Indonesian Police to get involved.
The main issue here is that, other Indonesian provincial government might follow suit. It is an easy money for them and less accountability as they collect it by themselves. There are many evidences in the past, the local money collected directly from the people, ended up in the pocket of individuals. Just refer to the money collected directly by the headmasters of the state schools. state universities. With this local tourism levy the money might be ending up in the pocket of Balinese authority and only a few will end up to the real development of the region.
