Sri Mulyani vows to improve Indonesia's customs services
JAKARTA: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (pic) has ordered the Customs and Excise Directorate General to improve its services after several complaints from Indonesians trying to receive goods from abroad made the rounds on social media.

One case commanding attention online is that of Radhika Althaf, who reportedly bought a pair of soccer shoes for Rp 10 million (US$615) from abroad but incurred customs duties to the tune of Rp 31 million as he tried to receive the goods.

Sri Mulyani clarified the issue through her Instagram account, arguing that this was a case of under-invoicing, which resulted in the imposition of a fine by the customs authority.

However, the fine needed to be paid by the courier service found responsible for the mistake, she said on Saturday (April 27). The shoes had since been received by the buyer, Radhika, and the issue is now resolved, she added.

Another case was an order of learning aids for special needs students that incurred Rp 361.03 million in customs duties. The school, SLB-A Pembina National Level Jakarta, was supposed to receive 30 braille keyboards sent by OHFA Tech from South Korea in December 2022, but the goods had been held up by customs until a few days ago, according to a report by Kompas.

The customs office stated it had initially been unsure whether the braille keyboards were a donation or not. The keyboards were transported to Indonesia via courier service DHL, but there was no indication that the keyboards were a donation, resulting in a miscommunication between parties, the authority claimed.

After the case gained prominence on social media, the government facilitated to provide an exemption from import duties for the keyboards.

Sri Mulyani demanded that, in addition to improving services, customs officials should routinely communicate with the public to explain the rules and regulations.

She recommended that the authority work with key parties to improve its services and resolve issues faster, noting that, in this digital era, society was able to provide plenty of valuable feedback.

“I really appreciate and express my gratitude to all parties that always provide input and support for the customs office and the Finance Ministry to provide better services,” she said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Indonesia,Mulyani,customs
JAKARTA: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has ordered the Customs and Excise Directorate General to improve its services after several complaints from Indonesians trying to receive goods from abroad made the rounds on social media.