Have you read the article “Uganda Prevents Social Media Addiction with Taxes, Indonesia When?” by an employee of the Directorate General of Taxes? If you haven’t or have, this can be a complement for readers.
Enthusiasm
A research from DataReportal shows that the number of social media users in Indonesia reached 191.4 million people as of January 2022 with a total population ratio of 277.7 million. The data reflects more than half of the total population of Indonesia who are technologically skilled or not technologically stuttering.
All services have gone online since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. People are faced with technology as a measure to anticipate the spread of the virus. Parents are starting to work from home, kids are starting to learn online. Faced with this method, Indonesians prepare themselves with smart devices that are always available. All instructions and news are mostly known from social media.
According to data from the British company We Are Social, Indonesians spend an average of 8 hours 52 minutes per day. It turns out that more than a third of the time in a day we use to access social media.
Social Media Impact
New method, new order. Maybe the sentence fits the fast changing with technology. New communication bases besides face-to-face, new routines, and new devices. Many things have changed and will continue to develop. We are expected to be able to keep up with all developments, especially regarding technology that is so fast.
In one year alone there is more than one update for each application. Even the mobile phone software also provides a new version for the smooth operation of the operating system. Of course, these things are in line with the needs of users or dynamic communities.
Social media currently provides a place to be creative and generate income for the community. Starting from content for fun can be income. Many celebrities, YouTubers and creators of TikTok (a few examples of the big applications that are currently being used) have gained pleasure and fame through their respective social media. No kidding, their income can reach millions of rupiah if it is structured. Without a doubt, many people are trying their luck on the same path.
Different story with this one. In 2021, a teenager Duren Sawit died as a result of being involved in a commotion and challenging each other on social media. Social media has its advantages and of course it has risks if not used wisely.
Social Pollution
Social pollution that psychologically attacks or has an impact on an individual is not the only impact of social media user indiscretion. It turns out that the use of social media also has an impact on the environment through carbon emissions.
Reported from Kompas.com, an Australian comparison site, Compare The Market reveals the carbon footprint or amount of carbon emissions (CO2) from the activities or activities of companies providing social media applications.
As a result, social media TikTok ranks first as the largest contributor to carbon pollution at 2.63 (gCO2Eq). Followed by developer company Reddit at number two and developer company Pinterest at number three. Using the top 10 applications that contribute to the most carbon footprint for 5 minutes can produce 20 kg of CO2 for one year or the equivalent of driving 84.5 km.
Carbon Tax
Quoting from Law Number 7 of 2021 concerning Harmonization of Tax Regulations, “A carbon tax is imposed on carbon emissions that have a negative impact on the environment” Article 13 paragraph (1). The subject of the carbon tax as stated in Article 13 paragraph (5) is an individual or entity that purchases goods containing carbon and/or carries out activities that produce carbon emissions and when the carbon tax becomes due, it is determined at the time of purchase, at the end of the year period from the activity and other times regulated in Government Regulation.
The purpose of the carbon tax is also stated in the same article in this Law in paragraph (12) namely “Carbon tax revenues can be allocated for climate change control”.
Carbon emissions are a negative impact that severely hinders the transition to decarbonization to create a green environment and environmentally friendly activities. Carbon taxes are a solution in limiting the amount and as a barter tool to be able to repair the remaining negative impacts. Through this regulation, Indonesia is one of the countries that implement a carbon tax for the good of the environment for its people by promoting low-carbon green economic activities.
In early April, the Ministry of Finance postponed the implementation of the Carbon Tax from April 1, 2022 to July 1, 2022. The reason for this delay was to finalize regulations in technical regulations and wait for the readiness of the electricity sector as the first sector which will be subject to a carbon tax. The prepared technical rules include tariffs, basis of imposition, methods of calculation and deposit, reporting, and carbon footprint maps.
Social Media Carbon Emissions
In view of the purpose of the carbon tax due to the establishment of this regulation, carbon emissions from social media activities should be considered or input into the formation of special or separate technical regulations. The large number of social media users in Indonesia and the long access time per day are the reasons why the carbon tax can be present as a controller.
Not only to limit or even prevent users from earning a living or being creative. The main thing is to pressure service providers to switch to more environmentally friendly methods. In this sophisticated era, the application of taxes to control the occurrence of damage is increasingly focused on improving the quality of people’s lives so that they are even better without pollution.
Sumber https://www.pajak.go.id/id/artikel/pajak-karbon-untuk-media-sosial