VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy (June 25, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Humas Menko PMK) - 

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, has said the government must focus on accelerating the production of indigenous vaccines for inoculating pregnant women, toddlers, and children amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.

"To anticipate unwanted possibilities in vaccine procurement, I suggest that we should focus more on accelerating national vaccine production," he said in a written statement received here on Saturday.

Based on data issued by the Ministry of Health, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among pregnant women have so far reached 35,099, while 24,591 infections have been recorded among newborns aged 0-12 months.

In response, the government has decided to accelerate the vaccination program for pregnant women, toddlers, and children, the minister informed.

Vaccinations could prevent transmission and reduce the rates of COVID-19 cases and fatality, he added.

The acceleration of the vaccination program is necessary and vaccine procurement should also prioritize indigenous vaccines, he said.

"How can this national production vaccine be materialized immediately so that we do not (have to) depend on the international market?” he asked.

The current situation in the global vaccine market is highly uncertain, he noted. Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise due to the presence of new and more infectious variants, he pointed out.

Citing the example of America, he said the country has managed to implement large-scale vaccinations as it has been able to produce COVID-19 vaccines and thereby, ensure abundant stocks.

Effendy said he is optimistic that Indonesia will be able to produce its own vaccines to help the government achieve its target of building herd immunity against COVID-19 by the end of 2021//ANT

Illustration - Deferring debt repayment, promoting tax compliance, ending tax incentives, clamping down on corruption, and tightening bureaucratic spending are some ways the government can cut its debt burden, an economist has said. (ANTARA/REUTERS/Rick Wilking/pri) - 

Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) director Bhima Yudhistira has proposed five measures to mitigate and control rising government debt.

"To prevent debt from increasing further (the government) should first hold negotiations on the debt (and) soon,” he said here on Saturday.

The negotiations may lead to deferred debt repayments, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

If Indonesia has a heavy debt burden with annual interest amounting to 373 trillion Indonesian rupiahs, it can request creditors to defer interest payment until 2022 or 2023 due to the pandemic, he suggested.

Second, the government must raise the tax ratio by promoting tax compliance, among other things, Yudhistira said.

Third, the government must stop providing tax incentives, particularly to sectors that have received a stimulus though it has not been effective, he advised.

Fourth, the government must move to restrict corrupt attitudes to ensure taxation rules are upheld because corruption can hurt tax receipts, he said.

“This (corruption) also harms tax receipts, which will eventually add to the burden between the addition of debt and the obligation of debt repayment," he explained.

And finally, the government can tighten bureaucratic spending, including personnel and capital spending, Yudhistira advised.

"Non-essential spending such as official travel can be slashed because fiscal room must be kept in such a way as to allow more urgent spending," he pointed out//ANT

Spokesperson for the Industry Ministry, Febri Hendri Antoni Arif. (ANTARA/HO-Biro Humas Kementerian Perindustrian) - 

The Industry Ministry is expecting the policy fixing the gas price at US$6 per metric million British thermal units (MMBTU) for the industrial sector to boost tax receipts and investment.

The seven industrial sectors that have been granted the gas price adjustment facility at US$6 per mmbtu will support the manufacturing industry’s contribution to tax receipts, spokesperson for the Industry Ministry, Febri Hendri Antoni Arif, said in a written statement issued on Saturday.

The manufacturing industry contributes significantly to the economy through tax receipts, among other things, he added.

In May, 2021, the manufacturing industry’s contribution to tax receipts grew 42.24 percent compared to 10.17 percent in April, 2021. On a yearly basis, the manufacturing industry’s contribution to tax receipts also swelled by 5.31 percent in the year ended May 31, 2021.

The seven industrial sectors that have been extended the gas price adjustment facility produce fertilizers, oleo chemicals, ceramics, petrochemicals, steel, glass, and rubber gloves, Arif said. The seven industrial sectors comprise 176 industries, he informed.

Tax receipts from the seven industrial sectors have shown an increase every year, he added.

For instance, corporate income tax receipts, filed under Article 21 (PPh 21) of the income tax law, from the industrial sector rose to Rp3.3 trillion in 2019 and further climbed to Rp3.4 trillion in 2020.

“This also shows a multiplier effect that industries receiving certain gas price adjustment facilities were aggregately able to maintain the number of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce the number of laid-off workers,” he said.

Income tax under Article 22 on the export of commodities from the seven industrial sectors also increased, suggesting that the exports and competitiveness of the industries receiving the gas price adjustment facility also strengthened, he noted.

Meanwhile, income tax under Article 22 on imports dropped due, in part, to a decline in the import of raw materials for industries, Arif said. Many industries have been using local raw materials as substitutes for imported raw materials, he added//ANT

President Jokowi during a dialog with the Regional Police Chief and regional leaders via video teleconference while observing the COVID-19 mass vaccination at Bhayangkara Square, Jakarta, Saturday (6/26/2021). (ANTARA/Indra Arief) - 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called upon local governments to double the COVID-19 vaccination target to expedite the realization of herd immunity.

Jokowi made the statement during a dialog with regional police chiefs and regional leaders via video teleconference while observing vaccinations at the Bhayangkara Square here on Saturday.

The president sought information regarding the vaccination in Central Java from the province’s Regional Police Chief Inspector General Ahmad Luthfi. The inspector general explained that the COVID-19 vaccination target within the Central Java Regional Police on Saturday had reached 141 thousand vaccine recipients.

"Are you ready to double the vaccination target?" the president asked to which Luthfi agreed.

The president will thereafter instruct Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin to boost supply of the COVID-19 vaccine to Central Java.

"Good, the health minister will prepare the vaccine," the president remarked.

The president then posed the same question to Head of the North Sumatra Regional Police, Inspector General of Police Panca Putra.

Inspector General Putra revealed that vaccination was conducted on Saturday by the police in collaboration with the North Sumatra regional government, targeting 66,790 registered recipients. Some 121 thousand vaccine doses were received for inoculation until June 30, 2021. Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccination will continue to be conducted in North Sumatra.

"Are you ready to double the vaccination target?" the president asked.

"We are ready, president," the police replied.

The president then threw the same question at the East Kalimantan Regional Police Chief Inspector General of Police Herry Rudolf Nahak.

"Are you ready to double the vaccination target?" the president asked.

"I am ready, president. As the people are also waiting for the vaccination," the East Kalimantan police chief replied.

The head of state lauded the mass COVID-19 vaccination conducted at various Regional Police Headquarters and Regional Military Command (Kodam) in several regions this Saturday.

"I would like to thank you for the mass vaccination agenda that was held simultaneously this morning at all Regional Police, Kodam, in collaboration with the local governments. I hope that starting today, the target of one million vaccines for all of Indonesia can be continued until July and August. We will increase the target to double the current target," the president emphasized//ANT