YLKI Reminds People Not To 'Racus' To Buy Electricity Tokens Because Of Discounts

ILLUSTRATION/ANTARA/Nancy L Tigauw

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Tulus Abadi asked the public not to panic buying or make excessive purchases of electricity tokens amid discounts on electricity rates given by the government until next February.

He also appealed to the public to be wise in responding to the electricity tariff discount program provided for household customers with a power of 2,200 Volt Ampere (VA) down as an incentive to increase VAT to 12 percent.

"Buy tokens (electric) according to your needs, there is no need to panic buying even though there is an electricity discount. Savings obtained by the public from the discount program should be used for more productive things," said Tulus Abadi as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 3.

He said the incentive aims to maintain people's purchasing power, especially for basic needs, so it should not be used to buy electricity tokens that have been given a 50 percent discount.

"The public must wisely take advantage of the discount on electricity rates provided by the government. We can use these savings for education, health, or business capital so that they have a positive impact on the economy. Don't even be consumptive by buying electricity," he said again.

Tulus also appreciated the government for targeting the lower middle class in providing discounts on electricity rates, considering the decreasing number and purchasing power of these people.

"This 50 percent electricity discount is only intended for household customers with a power of 2,200 Volt Ampere down. This means that what is targeted is the lower middle class of customers. So don't complain about middle class, because they are a capable group," he also said.

The government provides a 50 percent electricity discount for household customers with a power of 450 VA, 900 VA, 1,300 VA and 2,200 VA which is valid from January to February 2025. The discount is carried out automatically through the PT PLN (Persero) system.

Postpaid customers get a 50 percent discount from the electricity cost account for usage in January 2025 (which will be paid in February 2025) and for usage in February 2025 (which will be paid in an account in March 2025).

Meanwhile, prepaid customers are given a direct discount when purchasing electricity tokens in January and February 2025, so that people can simply pay a token price of half the previous month's purchase to get the same kWh.

Meanwhile, PLN customers with a power of 3,500-6,600 VA will still be subject to VAT of 12 percent.