QRIS Purchase Transactions Are Not Subject to 12 Percent VAT

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Fiscal Policy Agency of the Ministry of Finance confirmed that users of the QRIS payment instrument will not be burdened with Value Added Tax or VAT of 12 percent as of January 1, 2025. The imposition of QRIS tax is imposed on sellers and users of transaction services on financial technology platforms. Observers believe that the increase in VAT to 12 percent has the potential to increase the prices of several goods.

Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency Febrio Kacaribu, in his written statement received on Sunday (22/12/2024), said that the impact of the 12 percent VAT adjustment would not be felt by people who use QRIS (Quick Response Indonesian Standard) to make purchases.

QRIS is a payment medium between merchants (sellers) and customers (buyers) according to the value of the trade transaction, utilizing financial technology (fintech) which makes transactions easier.

"Transactions through QRIS and the like do not incur additional VAT burdens for customers," said Febrio.

Meanwhile, as before, VAT is imposed on transactions utilizing fintech, including QRIS. VAT on transactions via QRIS is also imposed on merchants. This regulation has been in effect since 2022 through the Regulation of the Minister of Finance (PMK) Number 69 of 2022.

"So, with the increase in VAT from 11 percent to 12 percent, there is no additional burden for customers who transact via QRIS," he said.

In the illustration provided by the Directorate General of Taxes of the Ministry of Finance, it is explained that services for electronic money and digital wallet transactions have so far been subject to VAT in accordance with the provisions of PMK 69/PMK.03/2022 concerning Income Tax and Value Added Tax on the Provision of Financial Technology. However, the basis for imposing the tax is not the top-up value, balance, or purchase transaction value, but rather the service for using electronic money or digital wallets.

For example, A tops up his electronic money worth Rp1,000,000. The top up fee is, for example, Rp1,500, then the VAT is calculated as follows: 11 percent of Rp1,500 is Rp165. With a 12 percent increase in VAT, the VAT is calculated as follows: 12 percent of Rp1,500 is Rp180. So, the increase in VAT by 1 percent is Rp15.

Director of Digital Economy at the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Nailul Huda is of the opinion that since the tax imposed on merchants through the merchant discount rate (MDR), some merchants or sellers have actually shifted the burden to consumers in the form of increased selling prices.

"We know that merchants also won't want to bear the burden of MDR plus VAT. When the VAT rate increases, yes, the selling price will also increase because VAT is a variable that forms the price," he said when contacted, Monday (12/23/2024).

With the increase in VAT next year, he assessed that the tax burden will not only be borne by traders who use QRIS for buying and selling transactions, but will also be returned to consumers. "In fact, consumers who pay using cash rather than QRIS will also experience price increases. Can the government regulate it? Of course not," said Nailul.