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AKARTA: Indonesia is to subject coal to an export tax to increase state revenues, prevent exploitation, protect the environment and maintain coal reserves, the Trade Ministry’s Director General of foreign trade Deddy Saleh said on Friday.

Indonesia said it would apply export taxes to other minerals, creating uncertainty in the country’s large mining sector, but until now it was unclear whether coal would be included.

“We have come to the conclusion that coal has to be subjected to export tax,” Deddy told reporters on Friday.

“We need to apply export tax on coal to prevent over exploitation, to maintain our coal reserve, to protect our environment and to increase state earnings,” he said.