There are actually so many cases of (ineligible) people buying 3-kilogram LPG. Therefore, we need firmness in enforcing the rules for purchasing 3-kilogram LPG.Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy chair of Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR), Eddy Soeparno, has highlighted the need for tighter government control over the purchase of subsidized 3-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
"We have conveyed the urgency to revise Presidential Regulation Number 191 of 2014 by including the criteria of people who are eligible to buy subsidized 3-kilogram LPG," he said in a statement received here on Friday.
He made the statement in response to news of an actress allegedly using the subsidized LPG, which is targeted at low-income people.
According to him, the revision must include legal sanctions against ineligible users found buying the subsidized LPG or those selling the LPG to ineligible users.
Data has shown that around 80 percent of 3-kilogram LPG users are ineligible for the subsidy, he noted.
"There are actually so many cases of (ineligible) people buying 3-kilogram LPG. Therefore, we need firmness in enforcing the rules for purchasing 3-kilogram LPG. If we don't do it, we will just be dealing with the same problems over and over again," he said.
He underlined that the circulation of more subsidized 3-kilogram LPG could potentially burden the national budget.
He then proposed eliminating the 3-kilogram LPG subsidy scheme and replacing it with a direct subsidy that targets eligible beneficiaries and can be provided via transfers to bank accounts.
According to him, the mechanism is worth studying to check the misuse of subsidies by the well-off.
"Thus, while the regulations and mechanism for distributing the 3-kilogram LPG subsidy are being evaluated, we especially appeal to the well-off to stop buying subsidized 3-kilogram LPG," he said.
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Translator: Melalusa Susthira, Raka Adji
Editor: Arie Novarina
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