Businessmen still complain about licensing redtape<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Businessmen are still complaining about arduous
\nlicensing procedures, including difficulties in acquiring land
\ntitles and building permits, Industry Minister Tunky Ariwibowo
\nsaid yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"I received those complaints at a series of meetings with
\nindustrial associations over the last few weeks,\" Tunky told
\nreporters after a meeting with President Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Tunky, together with officials from the ministries of finance
\nand trade, had held a series of meetings with industrial
\nassociations to gather input on ways to further expand exports.<\/p>\n
The businessmen's suggestions, Tunky added, were quite
\nfruitful to the government in designing new measures to boost
\nnon-oil exports which last year grew by an estimated 11-12
\npercent only, far below the 17 percent target.<\/p>\n
Tunky said that he and the other officials had met with
\nleaders from the associations of cement, electronics, textile,
\nwood, rubber, leather, food and beverages and vegetable oil and
\nfat industries.<\/p>\n
\"We have also met with the Korean Business Community to ask
\nfor its views on our export drive,\" he said, adding that similar
\nmeetings will also be held with the Japanese, American, British
\nand Australian business communities.<\/p>\n
Tunky said officials and businessmen had set annual export
\ntargets for each industrial association and discussed efforts to
\nachieve those targets.<\/p>\n
He said, in the meetings businessmen often raised complaints
\nabout arduous licensing procedures in several areas, including
\nland titles and building permits, despite the deregulation
\npackage of October, 1993.<\/p>\n
Value added tax<\/p>\n
He said the textile association suggested that tax incentives
\nbe granted for the development of garment designs, the value
\nadded tax on domestic materials be deferred and the reimbursement
\nof value added tax already paid on goods exported be expedited.<\/p>\n
Some businessmen also asked for more expedient procedures in
\nopening Letters of Credit for exports, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We will further discuss these suggestions with the
\ncoordinating ministers for economic and financial affairs,
\nindustry and trade as well as the Economic Reform Team,\" Tunky
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to Tunky, President Soeharto has instructed that
\ndialogs be continued with the business community to work out more
\neffective ways of improving the competitiveness of Indonesian
\nproducts on the international market.<\/p>\n
Tunky admitted that the declining growth of non-oil exports
\nlast year was also caused by the weak economies in major
\nimporting countries.<\/p>\n
\"But we should also look into internal factors that affect our
\nexport competitiveness,\" he said, referring to the importance of
\ndialogs with the business community.<\/p>\n
He said businessmen still complained about the licensing red
\ntape at local administrations despite the 1993 deregulation that
\nwas supposed to streamline local licenses.<\/p>\n
\"Deregulation and bureaucratic reform will be continued, to
\nfurther improve the overall efficiency of our economy,\" Tunky
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that the government was also reviewing what he called
\nthe broad-based (broad spectrum) strategy in the development of
\nindustrial exports whereby the government tried to promote the
\nexports of as many categories of products as possible.<\/p>\n
\"We are mulling over to pursue a new strategy that is more
\nsuitable to our competitive advantages,\" Tunky said. (vin)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/businessmen-still-complain-about-licensing-redtape-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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