TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister’s director general of customs and excise Heru Prambudi confirmed a plan to impose excise on products using a plastic package in 2017.
“After being approved [by the House of Representatives], we will draft the Presidential Regulation,” Heru told Tempo in Jakarta on Friday, December 16, 2016.
Heru projected that the excise imposition could generate a revenue of Rp1 trillion (US$76.9 million) and had been included in the 2016 Revised State Budget. However, the plan had to be delayed as the government and the House had not reached an agreement.
“Plastic is harmful to the environment, particularly plastic bags that account for 67 percent of the total plastic waste. Therefore, we are prioritizing plastic as an excise object,” he added.
In relation to the excise tariff system and other technicalities, Heru said that they would be discussed with the House.
To compensate the loss of revenue as a result of the delayed excise imposition on plastic, Heru hopes that it can be covered by a surplus of export duty which is expected to reach Rp400 billion (US$30.7 million) by the end of this year.
ANTARA