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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati speaks on the appointment of Askolani as the director general of customs and excise at the ministry in Jakarta on Friday (March 12, 2021).

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said she expects the directorate general of customs and excise (DJBC) to continue achieving the state revenue target under its newly installed director general, Askolani.

“Throughout 2020, the DJBC has achieved the state revenue target. It has been recorded as an achievement. Therefore, I ask to keep up the success this year even though it will not be easy,” she remarked here on Friday.

To optimize state revenues and achieve the target, the DJBC will have to focus on the “extensification and intensification” of revenue as well as building analytical data, she pointed out.

The DJBC has set a Rp215-trillion revenue target for this year. By the end of January, its realization had reached Rp12.5 trillion, or 5.8 percent of the target.  The figure reflected a increase of 175.3 percent year-on-year  compared to Rp4.5 trillion in revenue recorded during the same period last year. The directorate also added as much as Rp212.8 trillion in state revenue, an increase of 103.5 percent compared to its target of Rp205.7 trillion.

“This directorate, along with the directorate general of taxation and the directorate general of budget, which Mr. Askolani formerly led, will become a more significant key player,” Minister Indrawati stated.

She then urged the DJBC to improve provision of trade and industry facilities, boost exports as all regional offices also have such tasks, and protect the economy and public from smuggling.

Supporting the economy and public by adopting technology is compulsory and so is building an efficient ecosystem of national logistics, she remarked.

Overall, the minister said she expects Askolani to continue with the reforms introduced by former director general Heru Pambudi at the DJBC.“Keeping up the reformation in the DJBC is a must, not a choice. Thus, we need to pay attention to strengthening integrity, and organizational and institutional culture,” she remarked.

The minister in charge of official appointments at the Ministry of Finance, including those of Askolani and Pambudi.

Prior to his appointment as director general of customs and excise, Askolani served as the director general of budget. He has replaced Pambudi, who has been made a secretary general//ANT