Complaints over Admin Fees Rise, New E-Commerce Rules Accelerated
The government is accelerating the preparation of new regulations related to the e-commerce and marketplace ecosystem following complaints from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) about continuously rising admin fees.
Trade Minister Budi Santoso stated that revisions to Trade Ministerial Regulation (Permendag) No. 31 of 2023 are currently being processed and targeted for completion soon.
“As soon as possible, yes, as soon as possible. Hopefully this month it will be finished. Not sure if it will be together (with the Ministry of SMEs regulation). But our processes are always simultaneous because we are always communicating,” said Budi in Jakarta on Sunday (10/5/2026).
The revision of the regulation is being prepared alongside the regulation currently being drafted by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs.
Budi assured that the two regulations will not overlap.
“We have been communicating with the Ministry of SMEs from the beginning. So if there is (a regulation from the Ministry of SMEs), they will complement each other,” he said.
“The complaints have been quite numerous. Almost every day they come to me, either through direct messages (DM) on Instagram, Facebook, or WhatsApp. The government must respond to this,” said Maman to reporters in Jakarta on Monday (27/4/2026).
The admin fees in question are deductions or transaction commissions charged by e-commerce platforms to sellers for each sale.
The increase in these rates is considered burdensome for MSMEs as it reduces profit margins and competitiveness in the digital market.
The Ministry of SMEs is now preparing specific regulations regarding e-commerce admin fees.
The regulation is still in the inter-ministerial synchronisation stage, including with the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and the State Secretariat.
The regulation is also directed towards strengthening the protection of local products, including MSME products.
In addition, the regulation covers consumer protection to the prioritisation of promoting local products on e-commerce and marketplaces.
“Generally, it’s about the ecosystem I mentioned earlier. So we complement each other towards society,” said Budi.