Indonesia faces a ballooning foreign debt that runs into hundreds of billions of dollars, but the Indonesian government has not announced a new tax on mobile phone users in the archipelago, contrary to a false claim circulating online. AFP cannot find credible government or parliamentary records on the purported tax, while a ministry spokesperson has dismissed the claim as “false”.
“Bahlil: Starting in 2027, mobile phone users will also be taxed!” reads the text on a TikTok graphic published on July 22, 2026.
It goes on to claim the tax would be imposed because of the widespread use of mobile phones and that the policy would promote digital fairness.
Screenshot of false post, taken on July 27, 2026, with a red X mark added by AFP
The poster-like post appears to show Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia speaking at an event.
The false claim circulated as public concern over Indonesia’s economic condition grows, with the rupiah hitting successive record lows and foreign debt ballooning to $434 billion in the first quarter of 2026 (archived here and here).
This was followed by a sharp decline in the government’s approval rating to approximately 30 percent, according to a survey conducted by Indonesian polling institute Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting in July ( archived link).
Similar posts have also circulated on Instagram and Facebook, but there are no independent government sources to back up the false claim.
Fabricated policy
A spokesperson for Indonesia’s Directorate General of Taxes told AFP on July 30 that there was “no regulation imposing a tax on mobile phone users starting in 2027 until now. This information is false.”
The spokesperson went on to say that introducing a new tax regulation would require a lengthy and transparent process and that “such a policy would not simply appear out of nowhere”. The government could independently review such a policy or discuss it with members of parliament.
“Afterwards, the Directorate General of Taxes would provide official information to the public through its official communication channels so that the public understands the applicable provisions.”
Keyword searches on the Indonesian parliament website found no records of discussion papers or meetings regarding the purported new tax ( archived link).
The government has also rejected the claim in a statement on its website, calling it a hoax ( archived link).
AFP has debunked other baseless claims about new tax policies in Indonesia.