More govt agencies get duty-free status

More govt agencies get duty-free status

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has exempted 11 agencies under the Ministry of
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries from import duties and excise
taxes.

The head of the Legal and Public Relations Bureau at the
Ministry of Finance, Maurin Sitorus, said the exemptions were
aimed at assisting research and development programs within the
agencies.

According to a statement sent to The Jakarta Post, the
agencies granted the duty-free facility include the Maritime and
Fisheries Research Agency, Sea Fishery Products Research Agency,
Brackish Water Fishery Products Research Agency, Freshwater
Fishery Products Research Agency, Center of Ocean and Non-
Biodiversity Resources, and the Center of Fishery Technology
Research.

The granting of the facility to the 11 agencies also revokes a
previous policy granting the same facility to four agencies in
the ministry, including the Coastal Development Research Agency
and the Center of Fishery Research and Development.

Maurin said the policy was taken due to recent organizational
and work changes within the ministry, which resulted in the
merging of the four agencies into the 11 other agencies.

The Ministry of Finance granted a similar facility to 69
agencies and organizations working in the field of research and
science development, including the Livestock Research Agency,
observatories, the Indonesian Cardiology Foundation and zoos.