Govt considers delaying coal royalty hike: Official

Vice Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Susilo Siswoutomo said that the government was considering to postpone the implementation of the planned increase in coal royalty following suggestion from the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (ICMA), Bisnis Indonesia reported Saturday.

?We?ll study the suggestion,? Susilo said. The government plans to increase the coal royalty of the IUP mining permit holders from the current 3-7 percent level to 10 percent next year in a bid to obtain greater revenue from the sector.

Miners, however, have protested the plan amid the current downturn in the global coal market. (*)