JAKARTA: Indonesia has the potential to lose IDR3.35 trillion of value added tax this year from export coal transport at 262 million tons.Such potential value added tax (VAT) is calculated from the average shipping cost of export coal at US$15 per ton. The potential tax revenue derives from the exemption of 10% VAT over export coal transport using foreign flag vessel, Chairman of Maritime Industry Empowerment at the Indonesian National Shipowners' Association (INSA) Ibnu Wibowo said.Up to now, almost 100% of coal export uses foreign vessel, he added.Currently, Indonesia flag vessel is having difficulty to compete with foreign flag vessel in coal export transportat due to unequal treatment.According to Ibnu who also served as the President Director of PT PANN (Persero), the national vessel that engages in transporting coal export commodity is subject to 10% VAT.Therefore, INSA will prepare a blueprint of national shipping to enlarge Indonesias flag vessel to dominate export and import transportation that is currently reaching to 550 million ton per annum.Such blueprint contains financial scheme and policies needed for vessel procurement. It aims to enlarge the contribution of national vessel in overseas transportation sector, he said.The Transport Ministry is currently composing a strategy to enlarge the competitiveness of national shipping industry in export transportation and beyond cabotage.The ministry begins to apply cabotage principle for export after such principle has been successfully applied for domestic transport.About 95% of current domestic cargo has used national vessel while export and import are actually less than that. We need to overcome such thing, Bambang said.According to him, national shipping operator is still complaining about the fiscal issue and financing from the government.We are currently seeking fund for shipping industry and its vessel, he affirmed.Need a breakthroughThe government needs a breakthrough to speed up the acceleration of national shipping to the export transportation sector especially strategic commodities, Chairman of Sea Transportation Standing Committee at Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Carmelita Hartoto.Such breakthrough is a fiscal leniency for vessel procurement by continuing the exemption of import duty on imported vessels.Besides that, the government is also expected to provide tax leniency on export commodity transport that is still subjected to 10% VAT. The program of 0% import duty need to be continued, he affirmed.Earlier, Lecturer at Sepuluh November Surabaya Maritime Institute Saut Gurning said the volume of dry bulk cargo transport is estimated to reach 400 million tons per annum with an average growth of 7.5% per annum.At the end of 2011, the market share of coal commodity against total dry bulk cargo to reach 60%.Meanwhile, grain commodity is projected to reach 28% followed by cement, fertilizer, aluminum and steel products. The projected growth of Indonesias dry bulk cargo is even exceeding the average global growth of 5.2%.Gurning calculated that the global dry bulk cargo in 2011 is projected to reach 2.4 billion tons or increased by 0.2 million tons compared to 2.2 million tons in December 2010. (t06/msw)

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