Ministry of Finance of Republic of Indonesia : Government Will Escalate the Surveillance of Illegal Cigarettes

Jakarta, 01/04/2017 MoF - Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) reported 2,259 times action on excise has occurred in 2016. The number has increased from 1,474 times in 2015. Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati has instructed DJBC to escalate the surveillance of illegal cigarettes. The Minister said that as the nominal taxes from legal cigarettes are decreasing, it could be an indication to be more cautious for the illegal one.

'We have to be alerted, if the amount of legal cigarette taxes decreased and the number of illegal cigarettes rose in the market. Moreover, the pressure to raise the excise taxes is rising every year. Indeed, for the last few months, DJBC has reported to thwart illegal cigarettes from different regions in Indonesia,' she explained during a press conference in the Hall Djuanda on Tuesday (03/01).

On the same occasion, the Director General of Customs and Excise Heru Pambudi said that DJBC will continue to maximize the actions for illegal cigarettes. 'Government Roadmap is to reduce the consumption and production of cigarettes. On the other hand, the government will make sure to control any illegal attempt, as we have done in 2016,' he conveyed. (as/rsa)