Allegedly, several Singaporean banks try to keep Indonesian funds within the country by offering tax incentives to their Indonesian clients. These banks are concerned that Indonesia's tax amnesty program will lure taxpayers to repatriate their funds into Indonesia. Under Indonesia's amnesty program tax evaders obtain tax incentives (and impunity from prosecution) to declare and - if desired - repatriate their offshore funds into Indonesia. Although it is illegal to request Indonesian clients not to declare these assets to Indonesian tax authorities, it is legal to offer an incentive to keep the assets in Singapore.

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Foreign investors have increased holdings of government bonds by IDR 96.45 trillion (approx. USD $7.4 billion) between the start of 2016 and Wednesday 20 July 2016. In total, foreigners now hold IDR 654.97 trillion (approx. USD $50 billion) worth of Indonesia's government bonds. This reflects strong investor appetite for (relatively) safer state assets amid economic uncertainties related to looming monetary tightening in the USA, the Brexit issue and sluggish global economic growth, but it also shows that foreign investors have confidence in Indonesia's fiscal fundamentals.

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Not only the Indonesian government - through its tax amnesty program - but also the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) offers incentives. Tito Sulistio, General Chairman of the IDX, said initial listing fees are scrapped for those companies that conduct an initial public offering (IPO) before 31 March 2017. It is no coincidence that this incentive is valid until 31 March 2017 (the same day Indonesia's tax amnesty program expires). The Indonesian government and market regulators all seem on the same page: attract capital inflows, deepen capital and financial markets, and - more generally - boost Indonesia's economic growth.

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed Presidential Instruction No. 6/2016 on the Acceleration of Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Devices on 8 June 2016. Through this instruction Widodo calls on all relevant ministries - including the Health Ministry, Industry Ministry and Finance Ministry - to take efforts to boost development of Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry. The Health Industry has a key task to write an action plan for the development of a self-sufficient pharmaceutical industry and to boost competitiveness.

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