DJBC Performance Improvement Recognised by Prabowo, Purbaya Cancels Customs Dissolution

Jakarta, VIVA – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has confirmed that the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) will be retained, and will not be dissolved as he had previously threatened in an ultimatum to the customs authority.

Purbaya said that President Prabowo himself has acknowledged the improvements at DJBC, so the directorate general is now expected to raise its performance even further.

“Mr Prabowo has already seen significant improvements at Customs and Excise. So whereas he previously said it should be dissolved, he has now said, at one cabinet meeting, that Customs and Excise can be improved and must be improved,” Purbaya said at the APBN KITA press conference at the Ministry of Finance in Jakarta on Tuesday, 21 July 2026.

“And that is a clear signal that there is positive progress at Customs and Excise, recognised by our leadership. So the likelihood is that Customs and Excise will remain,” he said.

According to Purbaya, the improvement in DJBC’s performance is the result of a reshuffle in its leadership ranks, which he said are now filled with capable people.

He claimed this has already managed to increase customs and excise revenue by around 7 per cent, while also curbing the circulation of smuggled goods in the market.

“Customs and Excise has also been actively cracking down on the circulation of illegal cigarettes, which is currently very widespread,” he said.

It is worth noting that in January 2026, Purbaya had stated that a major overhaul would be carried out at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) as an effort to close loopholes in state revenue collection.

“Soon I will shake up Customs and Excise and Taxation. So we must work even better at collecting taxes,” Purbaya said in Jakarta on Tuesday, 27 January 2026.

He admitted that he had actually wanted to carry out this major overhaul since last year. However, it could not be done at the time because he had only been appointed Finance Minister in September 2025.

“Last year I only came in in September, and shaking things up in that month would have caused chaos because we were still in the final stage of tax collection,” he said.

“But I am confident that, with improvements to the people at Taxation and Customs and Excise, our tax ratio will rise significantly going forward,” Purbaya said.