{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1380580,
        "msgid": "group-wants-easing-of-limit-on-lubricant-imports-1447893297",
        "date": "1998-06-13 00:00:00",
        "title": "Group wants easing of limit on lubricant imports",
        "author": null,
        "source": "JP",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Group wants easing of limit on lubricant imports JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Importers Association urged the government yesterday to ease the import restriction on lubricants, saying such a barrier only encouraged monopolistic and graft practices. The association's chairman, Amirudin Saud, said the restriction should be lifted to help factories reduce their operational costs. The state oil and gas company Pertamina is the only company allowed to import and sell oil and oil-related products.",
        "content": "<p>Group wants easing of limit on lubricant imports<\/p>\n<p>JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Importers Association urged the<br>\ngovernment yesterday to ease the import restriction on<br>\nlubricants, saying such a barrier only encouraged monopolistic<br>\nand graft practices.<\/p>\n<p>The association's chairman, Amirudin Saud, said the<br>\nrestriction should be lifted to help factories reduce their<br>\noperational costs.<\/p>\n<p>The state oil and gas company Pertamina is the only company<br>\nallowed to import and sell oil and oil-related products.<\/p>\n<p>Industrial companies are allowed to import them for their own<br>\nuse but they must obtain permits from Pertamina, Amirudin said.<\/p>\n<p>Pertamina officials who deal with the importers, however,<br>\noften charge the companies large sums of money before issuing the<br>\npermits, he said, adding that the permit issuance also took<br>\nweeks.<\/p>\n<p>The lubricant and petrochemical products currently under the<br>\ncontrol of Pertamina include solid and liquid lubricants, crude<br>\nlubricant oil, ethylene, propylene, butylene and butadiene.<\/p>\n<p>Lubricants are used in many factories, such as textile plants,<br>\nwhile petrochemical products are used as raw materials for<br>\ncertain products such as cosmetics, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Amirudin said companies could spend about 5 percent of the<br>\ntotal import cost on illegal fees just to get their permits<br>\nissued.<\/p>\n<p>One member of the Indonesian Exporters Association, Anton<br>\nSupit, said yesterday that managed trading of other commodities<br>\ncreated the \"invisible monopoly\".<\/p>\n<p>Anton said that under the current managed trading, certain<br>\nexport-oriented companies are exempted from tax and customs fees<br>\nwhen they import raw materials.<\/p>\n<p>But some of these companies often only sell the imported raw<br>\nmaterials at higher prices to local buyers, instead of using them<br>\nto produce goods, he said. (das)<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/group-wants-easing-of-limit-on-lubricant-imports-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}