Regarding Imports Of Used Clothes: Ministry Of Finance Clarifies Rumors Of Restrictions On Passengers At Soetta Airport

Illustration - A number of prospective flight passengers carry their luggage at Terminal 2 of Soetta Airport. (Between/Azmi)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Finance has clarified the existence of restrictions on the luggage of flight passengers carried out by Customs and Excise at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten.

"We convey the clarification. There is no statement from the head of the BC Soetta Office regarding restrictions on luggage in the form of used clothes at Soetta Airport," said a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, Yustinus Prastowo via his personal Twitter account monitored by Antara on Wednesday (22/03).

According to him, if the statement by the head of Customs and Excise at Soetta Airport explained that the restrictions were aimed at imported quota goods from the company by passing through the port, but there were no restrictions on passenger luggage at Soetta Airport.

"The issue of importing used clothes is not in Soetta (Marker). Pak Gatot answered the public, it was by the company through the port, so two facts seemed to be a series," said Yustinus.

He also mentioned that Soetta Customs and Excise in responding to imported goods, there was no prohibition, only restrictions were imposed. The restrictions are adjusted to the rules of the relevant ministries, namely the Ministry of Trade.

Meanwhile, Head of Customs and Excise at Soetta Airport, Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, added that in terms of the connection between imported goods and used clothes, it was only applied to companies in the form of import approval (PI) or often known as import quotas for textile imports.

"The restrictions are imposed on companies in the form of import approval or are often known for import quotas for textile imports and textile products," he said.

President Joko Widodo has emphasized the ban on the used-import clothing business or what is often called "thrifting", because the business is disturbing the domestic textile industry.

Jokowi also asked related institutions to trace and follow up on the used clothing import business.

Some of the business people have been caught. "I have ordered them to find the right thing and many people have met a day or two," said Jokowi, Wednesday (15/3).