Good News From Airlangga: Transportation Entrepreneurs Will Get Incentive Money Post-Eid Homecoming Prohibition

JAKARTA - The government, through the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, said that he was preparing regulations for providing incentives for transportation business actors who were affected by the ban on Eid Homecoming during this year's Ramadan.

According to him, the regulation will be stated in the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) which will soon be released.

"Regarding transportation and retail entrepreneurs, the government has issued through the Minister of Finance incentives to add working capital to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic", said Coordinating Minister Airlangga in a virtual press conference last weekend, April 23.

He added that this incentive is not only targeting the transportation business sector but also various other sectors, such as retail, restaurants, and cafes.

"Especially in the retail sector, hotels, restaurants, and cafes where additional working capital facilities will be provided and restructuring for three years", he said.

Through this policy, he hopes that business actors who are included in the scheme will immediately build communication with related financial institutions to take advantage of these facilities.

"So (entrepreneurs) have to talk with their respective banks", he added.

Airlangga revealed that the government will continue to monitor to determine the level of effectiveness of the incentives issued.

"Himbara and Perbanas have been communicated (by the government) and we will monitor one by one those who carry out the restructuring", said the Coordinating Minister for Airlangga.

To note, the provision of working capital is the government's agenda in the form of support for MSMEs and corporations in the 2021 National Economic Recovery Program (PEN).

Meanwhile, the value of support for MSMEs and corporations this year amounted to IDR 191.13 trillion, where up to March 2021 the actual use had touched 37.71 trillion or around 20 percent of the ceiling provided.

Meanwhile, the total amount of PEN funds in 2021 is IDR 699.43 trillion and has realized as much as IDR 134.07 trillion by the close of the first quarter of 2021.