JAKARTA. The government has continuously increased the number of the companies, which receive the export and import facilities. In 2015, the government had granted the certificate of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) to five companies. The number has increased to 46 companies as of February 2017.
The AEO certificate is issued by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance. The government grants the certificate to the companies, which are under the category of ‘safe and secure’.
With the AEO certificate, the companies can have a leeway in dealing with the inspection in the port. Aside of the AEO certificate, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise also granted the status of the Main Partner (MITA) of the Customs (MITA Kepabeanan) to 264 companies.
The government expects that the growing numbers of AEO and MITA of the Customs status recipients would reduce the dwelling time from 3.4 days to 2.83 days.
AEO is the supreme facility granted by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise to the producers, importers, exporters, transportation companies, consolidators, brokers, ports authorities, terminal managers, trade enterprises, and distributors in the fields of export and import.
The companies, which have been granted with AEO include PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, PT Eratex Djaja Tbk, PT Sriboga Flour Mill, PT Megasetia Agung Kimia, and PT Bentoel lnterasional Investama.
Both AEO and MITA facilities stand at the higher level than the green, yellow, and red lanes in the port. However, MITA stands at a lower grade compared with AEO.
Vice Minister of Finance Mardiasmo said, the business participants that have been granted with the AEO certificate, as well as included under MITA of the Customs have given significant contributions to the customs.
According to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, the dwelling time for the business participants with the AEO certificate is in average of less than two days. The companies with AEO certificate and the status of MITA of the Customs can reduce the average dwelling time, on the grounds that those companies have contributed to 26.84% or 265,000 containers during 2016.
Those companies have contributed to 34% of the landfilling costs, or higher than the contributions of the companies with a green lane facility. Those companies also have contributed to 29.3% of the total state revenues along the year of 2016 from the import duties and import tax through Tanjung Priok Port.
Generating Growth
Mardiasmo is also optimistic that the provision of AEO certificate to the 46 companies also can boost Indonesia’s export-import activities, on the grounds that this certificate can facilitate the business participants in conducting international trade.
The companies with AEO status would be globally recognized as the companies with the predicate of ‘safe and secure’, and the companies that comply with the rules of international trade. “The reduction in dwelling time is merely an indicator. But the important thing is, if the export-import activities run smoothly, the economic growth would be increasing,” Mardiasmo said.
With the target growth of 6%-6.1% in 2018, the economic growth in this year is supposed to reach the level of 5.5%. “The economic growth requires extraordinary breakthroughs, including the trade sector. One of the main contributors of economic growth is the trade sector,” he said.
Director General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance Heru Pambudi said that the AEO facility, which was initiated by the World Customs Organization (WCO), is valid in other countries. In other words, the companies with AEO facility will have the similar treatments as they have in Indonesia. “We will grant a more privilege to the foreign companies with AEO facility,” he said. The privilege is not limited on the physical inspection.
(Muhammad Farid/Translator)
