Indonesian President Joko Widodo has formed a task force that is tasked to monitor the full implementation of Indonesia's 12 economic policy packages throughout the nation. Since September 2015 the government of Indonesia has been unveiling a series of economic policy packages that include tax incentives, deregulation as well as logistics solutions with the overall aim of boosting economic growth. However, businessmen have complained about the weak implementation of these packages. This may also explain why Indonesia's economic growth in Q1-2016 was weaker-than-expected.

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The government of Indonesia is currently preparing the 11th economic policy package. Chief Economics Minister Darmin Nasution told reporters that this 11th package will focus on curtailing Indonesia's logistics costs, reducing dwelling time at Indonesian harbors, and improving the investment climate of Indonesia. He expects the 11th package to be unveiled next week. Since September 2015 the Indonesian government has unveiled ten economic stimulus packages. These packages aim to boost economic growth in Indonesia through deregulation, tax incentives and by opening room for foreign investment.

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In the seventh economic stimulus package, the Indonesian government cuts income tax (up to 50 percent) for employees in labor-intensive industries who earn less than IDR 50 million (approx. USD $3,600) per year. This facility, unveiled on Friday (04/12), aims to combat financial pressures on companies caused by the economic slowdown and next year's higher minimum wages (in order to avert a rise in unemployment as companies may feel the need to sack employees). This tax incentive will be offered for a period of two years and - if successful - will be extended.

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Last week Indonesia delayed the release of the seventh economic stimulus package - a package that will focus on boosting the village economy - as the government still needs to implement several deregulations and debureaucratization in relation to its previous stimulus packages. Darmin Nasution, Indonesia's Chief Economics Minister, said it are the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources that are still to implement deregulations before the seventh package can see daylight.

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The government of Indonesia is currently preparing the seventh economic policy package. Through this new package it aims to boost people's purchasing power by focusing on the village economy (ekonomi desa). The package will have two main centers of focus: (1) making the use of village funds - disbursed by the central government - more effective, and (2) improving logistics at the village level. Edy Putra Irawadi, Indonesian Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, said these new policies will boost people's purchasing power, especially at the village level.

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Effective immediately, the government of Indonesia introduced a new tax incentive that makes it more attractive for companies to revalue their fixed assets. Previously, companies had to pay a ten percent tax on the company's fixed asset growth. As a result, companies tended to refrain from increasing the level of fixed assets resulting in limited tax revenue. The Indonesian Finance Ministry said that companies will only have to pay 3 percent tax on the increased amount, provided that they submit their proposals for fixed asset revaluation before the end of this year.

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On Thursday (15/10), Indonesian Chief Economics Minister Darmin Nasution unveiled the fourth economic stimulus package with a main focus on boosting labor and employment in Indonesia. A key policy in the new package is the fixed formula that will be applied by the government to determine increases in labor wages across the 34 provinces of the Archipelago. The government said it will allow a wage increase, every year, based on the provincial inflation rate and economic growth pace.

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The government of Indonesia will announce a fourth stimulus package on Thursday (15/10). This new edition will focus on safeguarding employment in Indonesia. Due to the country's economic slowdown, concern about unemployment has risen. The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPSI) recently said that over 62,000 Indonesian workers lost their jobs during the first nine months of 2015.

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On Wednesday evening (07/10), the Indonesian government unveiled the third (and last) installment of its economic policy package. This latest installment aims to boost the industrial sector by cutting the diesel price by IDR 200 to IDR 6,700 (USD $0.48) per liter and by giving a 30 percent discount on electricity tariffs for labor-intensive industries. Furthermore, ceramic and chemical producers will obtain cheaper gas per 1 January 2016. The package was unveiled by Darmin Nasution, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs.

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In Indonesian media more and more (unofficial) information circulates about the third installment of the government's economic policy package. This third installment, which is expected to be unveiled next week by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, involves lowering prices of gas, diesel and electricity (for industries) to avert more layoffs in Indonesia's manufacturing industry. Meanwhile, the government may lower lending rates (by cutting unnecessary costs) in order to boost credit expansion in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

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The government of Indonesia unveiled the last installment of a series of three stimulus packages on Wednesday (07/10). The first two installments had been unveiled last month. In general, these stimulus packages aim to boost economic growth of Indonesia (which has slowed to a six-year low) and restore investors' confidence in the Indonesian rupiah and stocks. When markets believed that the Federal Reserve would soon raise its key interest rate, Indonesia was plagued by severe capital outflows pushing the rupiah to a 17-year low.

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The government of Indonesia unveiled the second installment of its September economic policy package on Tuesday (29/09). The package is introduced in an attempt to boost economic growth in Southeast Asia’s largest economy and defend the ailing rupiah. Indonesia’s GDP growth slowed to a six-year low of 4.67 percent (y/y) in Q2-2015, while the rupiah has depreciated to a 17-year low against the US dollar. Capital outflows from Indonesia are the result of monetary tightening in the USA, low commodity prices and sluggish global economic growth (particularly China’s hard landing).

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In response to the ailing global economy, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has unveiled a new economic policy package that aims to boost economic growth of Indonesia amid a highly uncertain global context. On Wednesday (09/09), Joko Widodo (often called Jokowi) provided some details about the first phase of this new stimulus package during a speech at the State Palace in Jakarta.

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