Fisheries Minister Reminds Exporters of Fishery Products to Obey Tax Rules

INDUSTRY.co.id - Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries encourages domestic fishery products to compete in global markets as the licensing and certification procedures have been simplified.

“Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries is present to fully support Indonesian fisheries business players so that they can grow in domestic and global markets. We want the products we produced to excel overseas,” Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said, Saturday (17/4).

Thus, the Minister urged exporters of fishery products to follow the rules set out by the Government, both in terms of taxes and social security for fishing boat crew.

“I hope that the Government’s trust and support will not be misinterpreted by violating the regulations, for example reporting a lower selling price than its true value to reduce taxes, not paying or evading non-tax state revenues (PNBP), and lowering the sales tax. They’re not the actions to defend the country,” he said.

On that occasion, Trenggono expressed hope that the business climate in the fisheries sector to be healthy, be it for the continuity of the industry, the Government, and workers.

He also ensured that the Ministry would not tolerate exporters who violates legal or administrative rules. Indonesia is one of the world’s largest exporters of fishery products.

The total export value of fishery products in 2020 reached US$5.2 billion or equivalent to Rp72.8 trillion.

Export of fish for human consumption contributes US$4.84 billion to the total value.

Based on preliminary data from Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the export value of fishery products in March 2021 reached US$476 million, 19 percent higher than the value in February 2021 and 12 percent higher than in March 2020.

The cumulative total in January-March 2021 for export value of fishery products reached US$1.27 billion, 1.4 percent higher than that of the same period in 2020, with a trade balance surplus of US$1.14 billion, 0.34 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

During that period, the main export destination countries were the United States with a value of US$561 million (45 percent of the total export value), China at US$171 million (14 percent), Japan at US$138 million (11 percent), ASEAN countries at US$133 million (10.6 percent), the European Union at US$62 million (5 percent), and the Middle East at US$28 million (2 percent).

The main export commodities were shrimp worth US$ 527 million (42 percent of the total export value), tuna-skipjack-mackerel tuna at US$169 million (13 percent), squid-cuttlefish-octopus at US$128 million (10 percent), crabs at US$ 103 million (8 percent), seaweed at US$ 64 million (5 percent), and hairtail fish at US$ 22 million (2 percent).

The Minister said that these figures show that export-oriented fisheries industry makes a contribution to the country’s economic growth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, exports of fishery products have shown a positive trend.

“This fisheries sector is not only generating foreign exchange for the country but also it becomes a source of livelihood for people who have been depending on fishery products. In addition, this sector absorbs a lot of workers,” he concluded.