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onsumer goods producer PT Unilever Indonesia has said that the recent hike in royalty fees payable to its Anglo-Dutch parent company, Unilever NV, will not dent the Indonesian subsidiary’s earnings.

PT Unilever Indonesia has announced that, as of Jan. 1, it will have to submit at least 5 percent of its earnings as a form of royalty payment to utilize trademark, technology and services owned by its parent company.

The increase in royalties, the company added, would occur gradually over a three-year period. Previously, Unilever Indonesia paid royalties equivalent to 3.5 percent of its earnings.

However, Sancoyo Antarikso, spokesman for PT Unilever Indonesia, said that the higher royalty payments would not dent Unilever Indonesia’s earnings. “This will instead ensure that innovation keeps on flowing into Unilever Indonesia,” he told The Jakarta Post.

He added that innovative input would further boost the firm’s sales volume in the market.

As of the third quarter last year, Unilever Indonesia booked Rp 20.3 trillion (US$2.09 billion) in net sales, 17.4 percent more than the same period in 2011. Profit for the period climbed 20.7 percent to Rp 3.6 trillion while gross profit went up by 16.6 percent to Rp 10.3 trillion.