• Weak Tax Revenue Indonesia in 1H-2016, Spotlight on Tax Amnesty

    Indonesia's tax revenue realization in the first half of 2016 was disappointing. According to the latest data, Southeast Asia's largest economy collected a total of IDR 518.4 trillion (approx. USD $39.6 billion) worth of tax revenue (including customs and excise) in the first six months of 2016, down 3.3 percent (y/y) from tax revenue realization in the same period one year earlier, and only 33.7 percent of total targeted tax revenue (IDR 1,539.2 trillion) set in the revised 2016 State Budget. The disappointing performance is mainly due to weak tax income from the oil and gas sector.

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  • Freeport Indonesia Requests New Copper Concentrate Export Permit

    Freeport Indonesia has requested for a recommendation from Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to obtain another six-month permit for the export of copper concentrate. The existing permit expires on 8 August 2016. Since Indonesia's ban on mineral ore exports was implemented in January 2014, Freeport Indonesia - subsidiary of US-based natural resources company Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc - has been required to obtain six-month permits in order to continue shipments of copper concentrate.

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  • Tax Amnesty Program Indonesia Launched: Which Investment Instruments?

    Without giving too much insight into the details and regulations, Indonesian President Joko Widodo launched the tax amnesty program on Friday (01/07) during a speech in front of hundreds of businessmen and officials at Indonesia's tax office headquarters in Jakarta. The tax amnesty program - approved by the House of Representatives in late June - is a strategy to boost state tax income by (temporarily) granting amnesty as well as offering attractive incentives to (former) tax evaders. In return, the tax dodgers have to declare and (if wanted) repatriate their offshore assets into Indonesia.

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  • New Big Scandal Emerged in Indonesia: Fake Vaccines for Babies

    Relatively frequently Indonesia is shocked by major scandals; usually it is a high-profile corruption case involving politicians or big businessmen but since Friday (24/06) a new scandal arose that has been keeping local media busy. This scandal is more sensitive as it involves the health of little children. Apparently, fake vaccines have been given to children - primarily to babies under one year old - across Java for the past 13 years. Police arrested a total of 16 people on grounds that they have been involved in the production and distribution of fake counterfeit vaccines.

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