Government And E-commerce Seize For Postage, Rp. 500 Billion Funds Are Used For It

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said electronic trading companies (e-commerce) took the initiative to share shipping costs (postage) for buying and selling activities that occur on their platform.

This was revealed by the Coordinating Minister for Airlangga following the government's move to disburse funds of Rp. 500 billion to cover postage on the commemoration of National Online Shopping Day (Harbolnas) which coincided with the momentum of Ramadan.

"The government actually already has a package (postage responsibility) and discussed this with the e-commerce platform. So, in principle, some of these platforms want to contribute to the burden of shipping costs as well, ”he said in a virtual press conference, Friday, April 23.

Airlangga added that the suggestion from the business actor was welcomed by the government. However, until now both parties are still looking for the best scheme related to postage exemption in Harbolnas.

"Later we will see, which ones the government will pay for and which can be covered by the ecommerce platform," he said.

For information, the budget for shipping costs for Harbolnas Ramadan, amounting to Rp. 500 billion, is prioritized for products originating from within the country. Harbolnas Ramadan itself is planned to be held for 5 days, namely D-10 to D-6 before Eid.

This activity itself collaborates with associations, digital platforms, MSME players, local producers, and local logistics players to accelerate national economic recovery.

"Thus the government hopes that in the atmosphere of Ramadan there will be an increase in consumption. Therefore, we encourage that they do not go home but can send goods to the regions. The government is responsible for the costs, "he explained

On this occasion, the Coordinating Minister for Airlangga also encouraged the public to use the holiday allowance (THR) received for consumptive purposes. The reason is, the accumulation of THR 2021 from the private sector, ASN, and TNI / Polri is believed to reach a value of nearly IDR 150 trillion.

This amount is equivalent to 1 percent of national GDP which in 2020 is perched in the range of IDR 15,000 trillion. Not forgetting that Airlangga encourages business actors to fulfill their obligation to pay THR to workers simultaneously and not in installments.