hmmm -- does anybody have a copy of the final tax bill?? They were talking of tax rates of 14% for companies who turn over less than $5 million USD, dropping to 12.5%. If its just a flat rate of 28% it hardly seems worth the trouble!

Bugger, I thought they were going to reduce the personal rate too.

The decision of Indian aluminum producer Nalco to go ahead with a $3 billion smelter in South Sumatra suggests the province possesses the potential to develop into a new industrial hub. While Antara reported that feasibility studies are continuing, the plan presumes a plentiful supply of power, a major component in the manufacture of aluminum. Plans for coal-mouth power stations in the province are likely to be critical to the plan and further development of the region.

State-owned PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II announced Monday it raised container handling fees at Tanjung Priok port to offset rising prices and to fund infrastructure upgrades. The increase in the fees is between 18 and 21 percent. Pelindo II spokesman Hendra Budhi said the fee for international-bound 20-feet containers had been increased to US$83 from $70, and the fee for 40-feet containers to $124.5 from $105.

Steel imports reached a record high during the first seven months of the year due to limited production capacity and soaring demand driven by government-sponsored infrastructure projects. Imports of iron and steel were higher in the period than in the whole of last year, leading analysts to predict total imports this year will double last year's.

The number of foreigners visiting Bali rose again in July, although more were having shorter stays, Bali's Central Statistics Agency reported Tuesday. The number of foreign visitors rose by 7.02 percent to 183,325 in July compared to 171,301 in June, agency chief Ida Komang Wisnu said. "With five months to go, I believe Bali could see more than 2 million foreign visitors by the end of this year," Wisnu said.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday enacted a much-awaited amendment to the income tax law aimed at spurring economic activities by providing lower rates and more incentives to businesses. Income tax for corporations will be set at 28 percent flat next year, replacing the current progressive system, and will be further reduced to 25 percent at the start of 2010.

two words ... oil & coal

you fellows are too cynical! things *are* going well for indonesia at the moment, and yes, they *are* bucking the trend!

It's am election year coming up .. what do you expect

Amazing, the rest of the world is predicting a down turn and Indonesia........

Cyrillus Harinowo , Jakarta In the coming weeks, most corporate businesses will start preparing their budgets. Some with more extensive operations and networks have in fact started the drafting process directly after the President's Aug. 16 speech before Parliament. During this process much time is devoted to predicting the direction of the economy. Will next year be bullish, as we are now experiencing, or will it be affected by the global downturn?

Kee Beom Kim , Jakarta Indonesia's labor market today is remarkably different than it was 63 years ago when it gained independence. The most noticeable difference perhaps is that whereas the predominant majority of Indonesians were then engaged in agriculture, today, employment in services at 40 percent of the employed is virtually on par with the share of employment in agriculture. For Indonesian women, services today provide the largest share of employment.

Tuesday, 02 September, 2008 | 17:43 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The House of Representatives passed the income tax bill on Tuesday simplifying the tax structure for corporation and institutions and reducing tax level to 28 per cent. The new law does not cover individual income tax.