Finance Minister highlights 15-percent rise in energy subsidies to Rp102 trillion

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Budget allocations for energy subsidies rose by 15.7 percent to Rp102.5 trillion during the January-November 2021 period as compared to Rp88.6 trillion during the corresponding period last year, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated.

“The increase resulted from the high consumption of government-subsidized goods and the increasing prices of oil and gas,” the minister noted during an online press conference here on Tuesday.

Subsidies during the January-October 2021 period were for 13.13 million kiloliters of diesel oil and kerosene, 6,176.94 million kilograms of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), 38.1 million electricity subscribers, and 52.2 TWh of electricity consumption.

The higher-than-expected energy subsidies included Rp8.1 trillion electricity discounts for households and micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM).

“The people were protected, though the state budget must shoulder the burden," she affirmed.

Meanwhile, budget allocations for non-energy subsidies also increased by 0.8 percent, from Rp61.4 trillion in November 2020 to Rp61.9 trillion in November 2021.

Non-energy subsidies comprised Rp265.87 trillion for smallholder business credits (KUR) as well as subsidies for 7.02 million KUR debtors and down payment subsidy for 142,970 houses.