Ministry Of Finance Asks Regional Governments To Promote Shopping Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

Capture the screen of the Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) Ministry of Finance, Febrio Kacaribu. (Mery Handayani / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) has asked local governments (pemda) to ask local governments (pemda) to deal more quickly with COVID-19 in the country. One of them is by increasing the budget during this pandemic.

Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) of the Ministry of Finance, Febrio Kacaribu, said that the acceleration of APBD absorption during difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic could be countercyclical.

"Regional spending is very important to ensure that there is some kind of countercyclical as the central government. Do not let the central government focus on the counter, the regional government is actually hampered by its realization," he said, during a virtual KiTa Dialogue, Jakarta, Friday, October 2.

According to Febrio, it is not easy for the central government to control spending in the regions. Although the government has boosted the optimization of central government spending both in ministries / agencies and the National Economic Recovery (PEN) program budget.

"That (APBD realization) cannot be predicted accurately. Because this is first decentralization, then political and financial decentralization. Actually, we have to evaluate, what is the money transferred to the region, what is the expenditure of the outcome, what should be evaluated. , "he said.

In fact, he said, President Joko Widodo had invited governors and regents / mayors to encourage the realization of his APBD. Especially for funds originating from central government transfers such as the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) and the General Allocation Fund (DAU).

"In the future, we must be able to see more, not only in the context of communication. This is also being considered about the relationship between central and regional finance," he said.

For your information, until the end of August 2020, APBD revenue was recorded at IDR 661.84 trillion or 62.74 percent of the total APBD. Meanwhile, the new APBD expenditure was Rp.533.73 trillion, growing by minus 7.62 percent compared to the same period last year.