• Update Indonesia Elections 2014; Parliamentary Election 9 April 2014

    Today (Wednesday 09/04), the people of Indonesia will choose their representatives for the national and regional legislative institutions. Polling stations have been open since 07:00 local time. Although there are about 190 million Indonesians who are eligible to vote (out of a total population of around 250 million), the turnout may be much lower. At stake are 560 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR), 132 seats in the Regional Consultative Council (DPD), and about 19,000 local government positions.

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  • IPOs of Wijaya Karya Beton and Bank Agris on the Indonesia Stock Exchange

    On Tuesday (08/04), Wijaya Karya Beton (Wika Beton) was officially listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) with listed company code WTON. Wika Beton, a subsidiary of majority state-owned construction company Wijaya Karya, specializes in the precast concrete industry of Indonesia. The company issued two billion shares, or 23.47 percent of its enlarged capital, and expects to raise up to IDR 1.28 trillion (USD $113 million), which will be used for business expansion and for additional working capital.

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  • Proposed Luxury Goods Sales Tax on Imported Mobile Phones in Indonesia

    Both Indonesia's Ministry of Industry and Trade propose to impose a luxury goods sales tax (PPnBM) of 20 percent on all imported mobile phones. Previously, the Ministry of Industry said the new tax rule - if approved - would only apply to cellular phones with a price tag of at least IDR 5 million (USD $442). Now, however, all imported cell phones will be affected. This new tax policy aims to curb imports of mobile phones (thus impacting positively on the trade balance) and to support the development of a domestic mobile phone industry.

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  • Foreign Exchange Reserves of Indonesia Slightly Lower in March 2014

    Indonesia’s official foreign exchange reserve assets stood at USD $102.6 billion as of the end of March 2014, a slight decline from the level of USD $102.7 billion in the previous month. The decline was mainly due to government payments in the context of its maturing global bond in March 2014. At this level, reserve assets can adequately cover 5.9 months of imports or 5.7 months of imports as  well as servicing of government external debt repayment, well above the international standards of reserves adequacy at three months of imports.

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