Purbaya Increases Customs Budget, Launches War on Smuggling

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has increased the operational budget of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) as part of efforts to strengthen supervision and eradicate smuggling in Indonesia. According to Purbaya, the additional budget was provided to give customs officers greater scope to take action against various customs violations and illegal business practices. “Bea Cukai’s operational costs have been increased so they can be more active in catching smuggling and other business fraud in Indonesia,” Purbaya said at the Soekarno-Hatta Customs and Excise Hall on Thursday (13/8/2026). Without disclosing the exact figure, Purbaya stated that the additional funds provided exceeded Rp1 billion. “It’s more than Rp1 billion. The point is we have added a sufficient amount,” he said. Purbaya assessed that the budget strengthening is also part of an effort to improve the image of Customs and Excise, which has often been the target of public criticism. “Often the public accuses Customs and Excise of not doing a good job. Because of that, we are improving it, and now Customs and Excise is showing that they can improve themselves,” he said. He claimed that the performance of Customs and Excise is beginning to show positive results. This is evident from the increasing number of enforcement actions against customs violations and the improvement in state revenue from the customs and excise sector. In addition, the circulation of illegal cigarettes, which has been a focus of supervision, is also reportedly starting to decline. “These results show a significant improvement in the performance of Customs and Excise, both in terms of seizures and revenue, which is now starting to grow. Illegal cigarettes have also decreased significantly, although they still exist,” Purbaya said. The government hopes that the additional operational budget will further increase the effectiveness of field supervision, while suppressing smuggling practices that harm state revenue and disrupt a healthy business climate.