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Govt softens rhetoric on ceramics import tariffs, but questions remain
The government has softened its rhetoric after threatening to impose antidumping tariffs of 200 percent on imported ceramic products, but after a probe ended earlier this month, it remains unclear which importers will be subject to which tariffs.
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Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (The Jakarta Post/Jerry Adiguna)
T
he government has softened its rhetoric after threatening to impose antidumping tariffs of 200 percent on imported ceramic products, stating now that the maximum rate will apply only to firms that fail to cooperate with government investigation.
The Industry Ministry’s interim director general for chemical, textile and miscellaneous industries, Reni Yanita, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the highest tariff for ceramics imported from China was 199.88 percent, which would only be imposed on stiff-necked importers in the recently concluded antidumping probe.
“If a company willingly filled out the questionnaire [during the investigation], that means it is cooperating.” The assumption was, she added, that “if they were cooperative, they might not be guilty of dumping,” Reni said.
“If they did not fill out the questionnaire, [that means] they’re ready for the highest tariff,” she added.
An importer deemed cooperative would be subject to a lower tariff, Reni said, but refused to specify the amount. No government official contacted by the Post was willing to disclose how many parties were cooperating or how many were even being investigated.
The policy is not yet in place since it is still awaiting approval from the Industry Ministry, after which it will fall into the lap of the Finance Ministry, which will enact a technical regulation on the import duty.
This multiministerial effort is based on the findings of an investigation on ceramics imports from China conducted by the Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee (KADI).
