Tobacco Excise Revenue Sharing Fund Supports Pekalongan's Economy
The Pekalongan City Government has realised the distribution of the Tobacco Excise Revenue Sharing Fund (DBHCHT) through direct cash assistance (BLT) to hundreds of cigarette factory workers. This step is part of efforts to strengthen the economic resilience of communities supported by the tobacco products industry ecosystem.
Vice Mayor of Pekalongan, Balgis Diab, personally handed over the assistance to tobacco workers in her region. The distribution coincides with the new school year, allowing recipients to immediately allocate the funds for family needs. Balgis stated that the majority of workers in this sector are women who serve as the backbone of household finances, so the funds also benefit other family members, such as meeting children’s school expenses. “The distribution of DBHCHT to workers in the Pekalongan area aims to support the family economy of the workers. The hope is that the money received will be used to meet basic needs, for example, to buy groceries,” said Balgis.
The Pekalongan City Government seeks to return the industry’s contribution to the community through this excise revenue-sharing fund. Its impact is significantly felt through physical and non-physical development, including the provision of free healthcare services through the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme. DBHCHT is also utilised to organise workforce training at the Pekalongan City Job Training Centre (BLK) as an effort to reduce the unemployment rate in Pekalongan.
“The DBHCHT received is returned to the community. The forms include BLT and also training that supports reducing unemployment. In addition, it is used for eradicating illegal cigarettes and health services,” she said. To ensure that the legal industry, which is the source of these funds, continues to operate properly, the Pekalongan City Government is also actively running supervision programmes in the field. This effort is carried out through the ‘Gempur Rokok Ilegal’ (Crush Illegal Cigarettes) movement involving law enforcement officers.
Furthermore, the Acting Head of the Pekalongan City Social, Population Control, and Family Planning Office (Dinsos-P2KB), Sugiyo, explained that the BLT distribution programme is in accordance with the mandate of the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) Number 72 of 2024. DBHCHT is allocated for social environment development, including providing direct assistance to factory workers to maintain public purchasing power. “For this year 2026, there are 500 cigarette factory workers receiving BLT DBHCHT from the Pekalongan City Government. Each receives Rp300,000 per month for two months, namely May and June,” said Sugiyo, explaining the technical details of the beneficiaries in Pekalongan City.