Official levies to be coordinated : Mar'ie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is preparing measures to
\ncoordinate levies imposed by the central government and local
\nadministrations, so that they don't overlap with each other,
\nMinister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad said here yesterday.<\/p>\n
"It is essential to coordinate the regulations and the
\nmechanism of the collection of levies," he told the Budgetary
\nCommission of the House of Representatives (DPR) at a hearing.<\/p>\n
The minister and the House members were on the second day of
\ntheir four-day discussion on the government-proposed state budget
\nfor the 1996\/1997 fiscal year, which will be implemented in
\nApril.<\/p>\n
The minister said provincial administrations' regulations
\nallowing the imposition of levies should also be upgraded to laws
\nso that such levies will require approval from the House of
\nRepresentatives before being introduced.<\/p>\n
The government is now under pressure to scrap all kinds of
\nlevies burdening the country's high-cost economic activities to
\nimprove its competitive edge in foreign markets.<\/p>\n
A number of ministries have committed to scrapping their
\nrespective levies.<\/p>\n
However, many economists express doubt whether local
\nadministrations would also support the commitment, given the fact
\nthat most of provinces' revenues come from such levies.<\/p>\n
At yesterday's hearing, the minister acknowledged that his
\ntask would not be easy. "It will take time," he told the hearing,
\nwhich will proceed until tomorrow.<\/p>\n
State firms<\/p>\n
Mar'ie also said that the government would further consolidate
\nstate-owned companies in a bid to improve their efficiency.<\/p>\n
State-owned companies with similar production lines, for
\nexample, would be merged, with one of them to be assigned to act
\nas a holding firm, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the integration of PT Semen Tonasa in South Sulawesi
\nand PT Semen Padang in West Java into the publicly listed PT
\nSemen Gresik would be taken as a model in the consolidation of
\nstate-owned companies.<\/p>\n
A business liquidation would be the last resort in the
\ngovernment's restructuring of its companies, he said.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Director General for Plantations A.
\nRante Tondok said Tuesday that state-owned plantation companies,
\nnow totaling 30, would be merged into 14 groups of companies,
\nbased on their operational sites.<\/p>\n
He said that the names of the state-owned plantation
\ncompanies, which are now taken from their operational codes,
\nwould also be changed.<\/p>\n
"The proposal on the consolidation is waiting for President
\nSoeharto's approval," he told newsmen at a breaking of the fast
\ngathering at his office Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
About the financing of the general elections to be held next
\nyear, Mar'ie told the House members yesterday that the funds
\nwould be allocated in the state budget.<\/p>\n
"The government will set aside Rp 214.6 billion for the
\nelection committees," he said, adding that the total funds would
\nbe allocated in three consecutive fiscal years.<\/p>\n
Around Rp 76 billion of the total funds will be allocated in
\nthe 1995\/1996 fiscal year, Rp 128.7 billion in 1996\/1997 and
\nanother Rp 99.9 billion in 1997\/1998, the minister said. (hen)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/official-levies-to-be-coordinated-marie-1447893297",
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