Businesspeople concerned by govt economic performance<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Businesspeople in the Jababeka Industrial Estate in Cikarang,
\nWest Java, have expressed concern over the government's
\nfailure to tackle smuggling and bureaucratic red tape, or to
\nreform tax regulations, which have hurt their businesses.<\/p>\n
During a meeting on Wednesday with President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, the chairman of the Indonesian Apparel Manufacturers
\nAssociation, Vince Gowan, asked the government to take more
\nseriously the problem of smuggling, which he said disrupted
\nsupplies and prices in the domestic market.<\/p>\n
\"The war against smuggling should not be declared today and
\ncarried out over the next three months. It should be waged now
\nand forever,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Vince, who is also the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
\nIndustry's vice chairman for productivity, also expressed concern
\nover the country's high-cost economy -- caused by illegal fees
\nimposed by central government and regional administration
\nofficials -- which has harmed the competitiveness of locally made
\nclothing products in overseas markets.<\/p>\n
\"It is also difficult for us to divert and sell our products
\nin the domestic market because it has been swamped with the
\nsmuggled products that we are complaining about,\" he said. \"We
\nexpect the government to take action to resolve this problem and
\nnot just give us lip service.\"<\/p>\n
Singaporean businessman Stanley Lee highlighted the existing
\nproblems in Indonesia's tax regulations, citing how many tax
\nofficials were in the habit of interpreting the regulations
\naccording to their own preferences.<\/p>\n
\"When the regulation does not actually fit (their
\ninterpretation), it results in the impression that they (the tax
\nofficials) are just trying to blackmail taxpayers and that there
\nis no legal uncertainty in the country,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Responding to the criticism, Susilo highlighted a number of
\nhis administration's economic success stories.<\/p>\n
\"The government is at present trying to reduce the high-cost
\neconomy,\" he said. \"If you continue to face problems dealing with
\ngovernment officials in the bureaucracy, please report it to me.\"<\/p>\n
Regarding the issue of smuggling, Susilo said the government
\nhad been consistent in waging a total war against the crime.<\/p>\n
In his first year in power, he said, the government had
\nachieved much economic progress, including a 24 percent increase
\nin non-oil exports the growth of total investment from US$1.7
\nbillion to $8.4 billion as of August.<\/p>\n
\"It is the right time for investors to come back to Indonesia,
\nas we have shown our resilience in overcoming the many problems
\nwe faced, including the recent tsunami and the terrorist
\nbombings,\" he said. \"It is the resilience of our nation that
\nforeign investors can count on.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/businesspeople-concerned-by-govt-economic-performance-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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