TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Carbon tax won’t lessen competitiveness, industry minister vows
The industry minister has told a House commission meeting that it was his office's duty to protect domestic industries against any negative impacts on their competitiveness from the planned carbon tax.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The electric vehicle battery factory of PT HLI Green Power, a joint venture between South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, appears in this undated photo released by Karawang New Industry City (KNIC) in 2023, shortly after the completion of the facility at the industrial estate in Karawang, West Java. (Karawang New Industry City)
D
uring a meeting with House of Representatives Commission VII on Tuesday, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita vowed to make sure that the planned carbon tax rollout would not reduce the competitiveness of domestic industries.
“The carbon tax is something that has been encouraged [by the government], but for us at the Industry Ministry, our job is [to ensure that] the carbon tax will not harm the industrial sector,” he told the commission, which oversees energy and mineral resources.
He was responding to a question from lawmaker Eddy Soeparno, who asked if the government’s plan to impose a carbon tax on industries could increase operating costs.
“Considering that [the carbon tax] is related to green products, which are related to carbon [emissions], the carbon footprint and so on, [...] what we will continue to ensure at the Industry Ministry is that [industries’] competitiveness is not disrupted,” Agus said.
Read also: Government working on carbon tax regulations: Finance minister
Eddy also asked Agus about the pollution and environmental damage caused by industries, and suggested that the minister pay more attention to industries’ impact on the environment.
Agus responded by saying that his office “did not [intend] to create any conflict between the Industry Ministry and the Environment and Forestry Ministry”, emphasizing that the industrial sector was aware of the importance of carrying out manufacturing in a sustainable, green way.
