Fiscal Incentives for Oil and Gas Contractors in Indonesia

With regard to Indonesia fiscal policy, the Indonesian government has issued the Regulation of the Minister No. 122/PMK.03/2019 on Facilities of Value-added Tax or Value-added Tax and Luxury-goods Sales Tax, Land-and-Building Tax, and Tax Treatment upon Imposition of Sharing Facilities Operational Cost and Indirect Cost Budgeting Expense of the Headquarters.

This Indonesia fiscal policy has changed the tax circumstances for oil and gas contractors as it provides fiscal tax incentives of the mentioned tax for oil and gas operators, removing the major barriers for investments in oil and gas production in the exploration stage, and thus boosting the industry in the country.

This regulation was signed by the finance minister on August 27, 2019 and came into effect on September 27, 2019. This article outlines the relevant scopes and their details under Regulation 122/2019.

Scope of Regulation 122/2019

The key points in regard to the fiscal incentives for oil and gas contractors in Regulation 122/2019 are:

• Tax facilities scope
• Eligible KKKS (Kontraktor Kontrak Kerja Sama) scope
• Cost-sharing and indirect-cost tax treatments
• Securing tax facilities

Tax Facilities Scope

Value-added tax PPN and luxury-goods sales tax PPnBM, and land-and-building tax PBB are two taxes that are applicable for tax facilities.

• PPN and PPnBM will not be collected for certain activities conducted during the exploration and exploitation phases. These activities include certain taxable goods or services acquisition, and utilisation of certain outside-custom goods or services within custom areas
• Full PBB deduction as shown in the payable tax return

Eligible KKKS Scope

Eligible KKKS to invoke the mentioned tax facilities include the following:

• KKKS with their Oil and Gas Corporation Contracts signed in accordance with Regulation 79/2010 before the effect of Law 22/2001; or after the enactment of Oil and Gas Law but before the enforcement of Regulation 79/2010
• KKKS with their Oil and Gas Corporation Contracts signed after the effect of Regulation 79/2010 and in full compliance with the regulation. The said KKKS must also be eligible for operational cost reimbursements

Cost-sharing and Indirect-cost Tax Treatments

KKKS’ expenses from cost-sharing operations in the upstream oil and gas sector when utilising the state-owned goods are exempted from the income tax withholding. In addition, PPN does not apply for taxable services transfer when the KKKS meets the following criteria:

• Purchase and use state-owned goods for operations stated in the contract
• The use of state-owned goods in shared facilities is approved by the SKK Migas
• The use of shared facilities is not designed to generate profits

Apart from that, indirect-cost expenses are exempted from withholding income tax as well as PPN, when the KKKS fulfills certain requirements:

• The incurred expenses are to support business operations and activities in the Indonesian territory
• The KKKS must submit their headquarter’s audited financial statements
• Expense amount should not exceed the set limit

Securing Tax Facilities

The following procedure is set out in order to secure the tax facilities for oil and gas contractors in Indonesia:

1. Submit application and required documents to the tax office. The documents consist of exploration statement letter from MEMR and copies of production-sharing contracts.
2. The head of relevant tax office issues SKFP (Surat Keterangan Fasilitas Perpajakan) for exploration or exploitation stages within 7 days upon the receipt of the application.
3. The exploration SKFP has the same validity as the period of the production-sharing contracts; and the exploitation SKFP is valid from the approval date of the first field or further field development.

How Cekindo can Help

Whether you are just starting out or already well-established, you want to make the most out of your business by increasing profits and taking advantage of tax incentives and benefits available. However, navigating the business markets and fiscal policy in Indonesia can be challenging, especially when you are in an unfamiliar environment.

That is why the team of experts at Cekindo offers business consulting and outsourcing services to guide your entrepreneurial venture throughout Indonesia at every stage of the country’s constant development.

We have all the right tools and tailored solutions to help you run your business in Indonesia with the utmost confidence. Send us your enquiries now by filling in the form below and we look forward to assisting you soon.