Sri Mulyani Holds Another Meeting Amid Ongoing Public Scrutiny of Customs
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Editor
14 May 2024 11:39 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati held a meeting with the leaders of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. The meeting was held yesterday at the Customs and Excise Office to discuss the follow-up to the public input, especially over the past few weeks.
"We are discussing the follow-up of public input and fundamental improvements in Indonesia's customs and excise institution," Sri Mulyani said on her official Instagram page on May 13.
The Minister asked the leaders attending the meeting to map the risks posed by changes in the ecosystem and economic dynamics, and to continue to work in synergy with law enforcement officials and other ministries and institutions.
Indonesia's Customs and Excise Department has come under intense scrutiny over various import-related issues. Prominent cases include a TikTok user's complaint that shoes he bought from overseas were subject to very high import duties upon arrival in Indonesia.
Customs and Excise also came under heavy criticism for withholding Braille keyboards donated by South Korea for a special needs school in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, since 2022. The braille keyboards were eventually delivered to the recipient.
Recently, a post on X said that caskets are also subject to import tax. The X user claimed that his friend was charged a 30 percent import tax on a casket because it was considered a luxury item. In this case, the customs office denied the claim.
Encep Dudi Ginanjar, head of the Customs' PR and Consultation Sub-Directorate, said that after checking the shipment of coffins and bodies of the deceased from Penang, Malaysia, no one had been charged or collected any import duties or taxes in connection with the import.
"It should be noted that the shipment of bodies from abroad to Indonesia is not subject to import duties and taxes," he said in an official statement on May 12.
ILONA ESTHERINA
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