Overcoming Housing Backlog, Ministry Of Finance Continues To Evaluate Fiscal Policy

JAKARTA - Director of the Investment Management System of the Directorate General of Treasury, Ministry of Finance Saiful Islam ensures that it will continue to evaluate fiscal policies for the housing sector.

"We will continue to evaluate. Efforts to cover the housing backlog still require a fiscal presence," Saiful said at a press conference in Jakarta, Friday, May 31.

For information, the policy is contained in Government Regulation (PP) Number 21 of 2024 concerning amendments to Government Regulation Number 25 of 2020 concerning the Implementation of Public Housing Savings (Tapera) signed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

In the regulation, workers are required to be participants and deposit 3 percent of income as Tapera deposits.

This provision requires workers to pay people's housing contributions of 2.5 percent of wages and 0.5 percent of being paid by employers.

The Tapera contribution is effective no later than seven years after its stipulation or in 2027.

The basis for determining PP 21/2024 refers to Law Number 4 of 2016 concerning Tapera.

So that the Tapera Management Agency (BP) is appointed as an institution to solve the problem of house ownership backlog through a participant savings scheme.

Saiful said that the Tapera program had been agreed upon by the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) in 2016.

Therefore, this policy has nothing to do with current policies and state revenues.

"We want to make sure this Tapera program is not this new program, so this program was set in 2016 regarding housing," he explained.

Saiful said that there have been three fund management schemes that have been carried out by the Tapera Management Agency (BP) since it was officially formed as mandated by Law Number 4 of 2016 concerning Tapera.

The first is BP Tapera's working capital fund provided by the government through the 2018 State Budget of IDR 2.5 trillion which is intended to meet the operational costs of various programs and BP Tapera's investment.

Furthermore, the second came from the asset funds from the Civil Servant Housing Savings Advisory Agency (Bapertarum-PNS) which were transferred to BP Tapera in 2018 amounting to Rp11.88 trillion. Because the Bapertarum-PNS stopped operating due to the issuance of Law 4/2016 which was then continued by BP Tapera.

"The participant funds of the former Civil Servant (ASN) ex-Bapertarum-PNS have not yet been continued because the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) has not been issued," explained Saiful.

Then the third is from 2010 to the first quarter of 2024, the total funds for the Housing Financing Liquidity Facility (FLPP) received by BP Tapera reached Rp105.2 trillion.

"In fact, what happens is the APBN every year, at least until 2024, allocates part of FLPP (to BP Tapera) investment, which is expected to be felt by low-income people (MBR) in the form of cheap houses," he said.

According to Saiful, the Government actually helps increase funds to meet the availability of housing through the FLPP scheme.

"Meanwhile, Tapera, deposits are entered by NIK by Address and history of each of these funds," he said.

Funds raised by BP Tapera will be used to provide convenience for Tapera Home Ownership Loans (KPR) or Tapera Home Building Credit (KBR) for people who do not yet have a home.

Meanwhile, for the people who are Tapera participants who already have a home, they can take their savings when they retire.