"The government has issued a number of policies. One of the policies is raising import tax on luxury goods. The policy has been on the right track although we still have a lot of things to do to maintain this momentum."Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of US$0.33 billion in February 2019 due to a sharp decline in imports, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
"The surplus resulted from a sharp decline in imports although exports also fell. But this is good news as it will have an impact on the first-quarter economic growth," BPS Chief Suharyanto said in Jakarta on Friday.
Compared to January, exports fell 10.03 percent to US$12.53 billion and imports slid 18.61 percent to US$12.2 billion in February, he said.
He said the trade surplus in February was the fruit of the government's commitment to slash trade deficit through various policies.
"The government has issued a number of policies. One of the policies is raising import tax on luxury goods. The policy has been on the right track although we still have a lot of things to do to maintain this momentum," he said.
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Translator: Sella Panduarsa Gareta
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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