• Update of Indonesia's Tax Amnesty Program: Big Taxpayers Join

    A total of 62 "big taxpayers" have joined Indonesia's tax amnesty program. According to local media their participation has resulted in a total of IDR 41.2 trillion (approx. USD $3.1 billion) worth of fund declarations and IDR 902 billion (approx. USD $68 million) in additional state revenue (tax). Meanwhile, the Tax Directorate General said there are more big Indonesian taxpayers ready to join the program. The tax office has formed a special team that calls the country's large businessmen on a daily basis to remind them about the tax amnesty program and their tax obligations.

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  • Mining in Indonesia: Is the Recent Coal Price Rally Sustainable?

    Coal miners have become cheerful over the past two months as coal prices have surged sharply. Indonesia's thermal coal price (in Indonesian: Harga Batubara Acuan, abbreviated HBA), a monthly price set by Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry and which is based on domestic and global coal prices, soared 9.5 percent (m/m) to USD $63.93 metric tons in September 2016, touching its highest level since April 2015. Moreover, in the preceding month the HBA had already surged by 10.1 percent (m/m). What explains this rise and is it sustainable?

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  • Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) on Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2016

    The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) expects to see 15 more companies conducting an initial public offering (IPO) on the local bourse in the remainder of the year, supported by the improving macroeconomic indicators of Indonesia (including a 5.18 percent y/y GDP growth pace in Q2-2016, 2.78 percent y/y inflation in August, and the central bank's lower interest rates) as well as the tax amnesty program (that should bring home trillions of rupiah, part of which finds its way into the local stock market). However, looming tighter monetary policy in the USA remains a challenge.

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  • Lion Air Remains King of Indonesia's Low-Cost Carriers

    The Lion Air Group, owned by Rusdi Kirana, remains the dominating force in Indonesia's airline industry. With its three units (Lion Air, Batik Air, and Wings Air) the group carried 20.5 million air passengers in the first half of 2016, controlling 48.4 percent of the market in the first half of 2016, followed by the Garuda Indonesia Group, and the Sriwijaya Air Group. Edward Sirait, President Director of the Lion Air Group, said the group's market share has grown 5 percent over the past year. This is remarkable considering that the global and domestic economy remained somewhat bleak.

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