Highlights Coal VAT Restitution, Purbaya Says Exit Customs Will Be Implemented

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadive. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadive emphasized that the implementation of outbound duties for coal commodities will take effect in 2026.

The exit fee planned by the government ranges from 1 percent to 5 percent.

According to Purbaya, the reason behind the policy is because so far there has been fiscal inequality, where coal companies that make large profits actually get facilities that burden the state budget, including restitution facilities, so the government wants to impose duties so that state revenues remain stable.

He assessed that when coal prices fell, exporters applied for tax restitution, but when prices rose, no exit duties had to be paid so that indirectly it felt like a subsidy from the government.

"So it's strange. This is all rich people, there are a lot of exports, I subsidize it roughly indirectly. So that's actually the main philosophy behind this regulation (coal out payment)," he said in a working meeting with Commission XI DPR RI, Monday, December 8.

The former LPS boss added that the change in coal status from non-taxable goods to taxable goods made the company entitled to apply for a Value Added Tax (VAT) restitution.

"So when the 2020 Job Creation Law is implemented, it strengthens the coal status of non-taxable goods into taxable goods, as a result, the coal industry can ask the government for VAT restitution," said Purbaya.

Dia menambahkan, saat harga batu bara melemah, nilai restitusi yang diajukan eksportir dapat mencapai Rp25 triliun per tahun dan kondisi ini menekan penerimaan negara, bahkan menyebabkan kerugian yang besar karena pemerintah harus menanggung restitusi dalam jumlah signifikan.

"Akibatnya kita tidak menyejahterakan masyarakat, malah pengusaha batu bara saja yang untungnya lebih banyak. Makanya kenapa pajak saya tahun ini turun, karena bayar restitusi cukup besar," ucapnya.

Untuk itu, pemerintah tengah menyiapkan kebijakan pengenaan bea keluar batu bara dengan target penerimaan sebesar Rp20 triliun per tahun.

Purbaya memastikan rancangan tarif dan mekanismenya sedang difinalisasi bersama kementerian terkait.

He added that when coal prices weakened, the value of restitution proposed by exporters could reach Rp. 25 trillion per year and this condition suppressed state revenues, even causing large losses because the government had to bear significant amounts of restitution.

"As a result, we do not prosper the community, even coal entrepreneurs are even more profitable. That's why my tax this year has dropped, because paying restitution is quite large," he said.

For this reason, the government is preparing a policy of imposing coal outage duties with a revenue target of IDR 20 trillion per year.

Purbaya ensured that the draft tariff and the mechanism were being finalized with the relevant ministries.