Purbaya Examines Tactical Measures to Counter Influx of Imported Products on E-Commerce

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has revealed that the government is examining policy measures to respond to the competition between online and offline trade, including the proliferation of imported products on digital platforms.

He assessed that technological developments are driving a very rapid surge in online transactions.

On one occasion, he mentioned that transactions can reach tens of thousands in a short time.

However, behind this growth, Purbaya is beginning to see an impact on conventional or offline trade, which is starting to feel the pressure.

This is also reinforced by various inputs from business actors in several regions, including industrial areas.

Thus, Purbaya stated that the government had previously suspected this shift, and now has confirmation that offline trade is indeed affected by the expansion of online trade.

“What we thought was that online is mostly used by Indonesians. But it turns out that those who dominate are not Indonesians,” he said.

Therefore, the government is beginning to consider tactical steps so that domestic business actors can still compete, both in offline and online channels.

Purbaya emphasised that if the shift to digital platforms cannot be avoided, the government wants to ensure that Indonesian business actors remain the main players.

This review also covers the competitiveness of domestic product prices compared to imported goods, particularly from China.

He mentioned indications that imported products have a significant price advantage.

According to information received, Chinese exporters are said to receive incentives of up to 15 percent from their government, although this still needs further verification.

When asked about the possibility of imposing taxes on imported products on online platforms, he stated that various policy options are still open.

“I will collect the suggestions first, then we will think about it,” he said.