Minister to report result of meeting on metal ores to president
Thursday, May 3 2012 - 11:05 AM WIB
Industry Minister MS. Hidayat said on Thursday that he and four other ministers already met this week to find a solution on how to ease soaring exploitation and exports of metal ores, and one of the ministers to report the result of the meeting to President on May 4.
The other four ministers were Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Rajasa, Energy Minister Jero Wacik, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan and Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo
?It is planned that on May 4, Minister Jero Wacik will report the result to president,? Hidayat told Petromindo.Com at the State Palace.
Minister Hidayat said that the government would apply taxes for 14 metal ores shipped to overseas, but he rejected to elaborate further on the size of the taxes.
On miners which have just started their production less than five years ago, the minister said that the government would adjust the size of the taxes, as the firms badly need to return their huge investment on mining.
?Off course we will consider it, I was also a businessman, so I understand,? he said.
On April 25, Hidayat said that exports of iron ores, coppers, bauxites, nickels had surged by between 500 percent to 800 percent since the last three years.
Minister Hidayat said that the government would make it not so easy for the exporters to ship the unprocessed mine products overseas and offered them to process the raw material in Indonesia.
Minister Hatta stressed on Thursday that the government aimed to give disincentives to miners having no clear road map for creating added value of the metal ores or developing downstream industry by up to 2014.
He also offered the firms another alternative of merging with other firms.
Editing by Adianto P. Simamora