"In accordance with the presidents request, I have to review the entire strategy of the past and adjust it to ensure development and to realize the set target," the minister remarked at the Presidential Palace complex here on Tuesday.
Nurbaya stated that President Jokowi had held a meeting on Tuesday with the Association of Indonesian Paper and Pulp and the Association of the Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) to discuss steps to formulate strategies for the development of industrial forests.
"According to data provided by the APHI, overall, there are 10.7 million hectares of industrial forests, but only some four million hectares are being used," she pointed out.
Nurbaya noted that some of the issues being raised by the APHI to draw the governments attention were related to the tax and fiscal policy support.
Speaking in connection with forestry affairs, she noted that there were some taxes such as levies on forest resources, reforestation fees, and property tax, but the APHI had objected to their imposition.
The minister affirmed that if the imposition of such taxes hindered business development and were not in accordance with the fundamentals of the Acts and Regulation, then they could be discontinued.
Nurbaya further added that for the other taxes, the environment and forestry minister must discuss the matter with the finance minister as they are non-tax national revenues based on the act.
The minister revealed that the other issue discussed at the meeting was related to the strategy of the forest industrys competitiveness as basically, it had a huge potential.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
