Indonesia's 9th Economic Stimulus Package: Logistics Costs
The government of Indonesia unveiled its ninth economic stimulus package on Wednesday (27/01) in an effort to boost the nation's economic growth. The ninth package aims to combat Indonesia's high logistics costs hence improving competitiveness of domestic industries while making Indonesia's investment climate more attractive. It is estimated that Indonesia's logistics costs are equivalent to around 25 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), among the highest in the ASEAN region.
Some domestic industries in Indonesia complain that logistics costs account for about 40 percent of total operational costs.
Indonesia's 9th economic stimulus package consists of four parts:
(1) to integrate billing and payments for port services conducted by state-owned enterprises into one electronic system (single billing system).
(2) to integrate the Indonesia National Single Window system (which handles export and import documents) with the 'inaportnet' system (which monitors the flow of goods in harbors).
(3) to revise Transportation Ministry Regulation No.3/2014 on the Use of Foreign Currencies for Transportation Payments. By revising this regulation the Indonesian government aims to make the use of the Indonesian rupiah mandatory for payments related to transportation activities.
(4) to remove Communications and Information Ministry Regulation No.9/2015. This move should neutralize the price difference between private commercial postal services and state postal services in Indonesia. The aforementioned regulation states that commercial postal services in Indonesia are required to be more expensive than universal (private) postal services. This regulation was a major advantage to state-owned Pos Indonesia but limited competitiveness and efficiency in the country's postal services sector.
Furthermore, Indonesia's Chief Economics Minister Darmin Nasution said the government will support state-owned electricity distributor Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to achieve its 35,000 MW power program by injecting capital into the company, quickening licensing procedures and assist when land conflicts occur. By 2019 the government targets to reach an electrification ratio of 97.2 percent (from 87.5 percent currently).
Economic Stimulus Packages of the Indonesian Government:
| Package | Unveiled | Main Points |
| 1st | 9 September 2015 |
• Boost industrial competitiveness through deregulation • Curtail red tape • Enhance law enforcement & business certainty |
| 2nd | 30 September 2015 |
• Interest rate tax cuts for exporters • Speed up investment licensing for investment in industrial estates • Relaxation import taxes on capital goods in industrial estates & aviation |
| 3rd | 7 October 2015 |
• Cut energy tariffs for labor-intensive industries |
| 4th | 15 October 2015 |
• Fixed formula to determine increases in labor wages • Soft micro loans for >30 small & medium, export-oriented, labor-intensive businesses |
| 5th | 22 October 2015 |
• Tax incentive for asset revaluation • Scrap double taxation on real estate investment trusts • Deregulation in Islamic banking |
| 6th | 5 November 2015 |
• Tax incentives for investment in special economic zones |
| 7th | 4 December 2015 |
• Waive income tax for workers in the nation's labor-intensive industries • Free leasehold certificates for street vendors operating in 34 state-owned designated areas |
| 8th | 21 December 2015 |
• Scrap income tax for 21 categories of airplane spare parts • Incentives for the development of oil refineries by the private sector • One-map policy to harmonize the utilization of land |
| 9th | 27 January 2016 |
• Single billing system for port services conducted by SOEs • Integrate National Single Window system with 'inaportnet' system • Mandatory use of Indonesian rupiah for payments related to transportation activities • Remove price difference between private commercial and state postal services |