Cigarette Taxes Implementation Can be Postponed
Friday, 25 November, 2011 | 13:00 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Achsanul Qosasi, the House of Representatives’ (DPR) Finance Commission deputy-chairman, said that the implementation of Finance Minister Regulation No. 167 on Tobacco Excise Tariff may well be postponed. The postponement is conducted in order for the government to calculate the potential losses in state revenue due to illegal cigarettes.

Achsanul, also a member of the Customs and Excise Working Committee, said a visit by legislators will be carried out to small cigarette industries in East and Central Java on Dec. 1 to 4. The legislators will directly survey whether the Finance Ministry’s Customs and Excise Directorate General officials are serious in their efforts on curbing cigarette industries using bogus customs and duties tags to sell cigarettes.

Achsanul added that the Finance Commission will only be able to decide whether or not to raise customs tariff based on the results of the direct observation.

AKBAR TRI KURNIAWAN