Jakarta. The Indonesian government has extended its most-favored nation (MFN) tariff coverage to safeguard domestic industries, with new tariffs imposed on cosmetics, bicycles, wristwatches, and iron/steel imports.

Under the latest regulation from the finance ministry, the MFN tariff ranges from 25 to 40 percent for bicycles, 10 percent for wristwatches, 10 to 15 percent for cosmetics, and up to 20 percent for iron and steel.

MFN tariffs, also known as antidiscrimination tariffs, apply to all World Trade Organization (WTO) members unless they have established free trade agreements or other preferential trade deals.

A customs official said on Friday that the decision was prompted by a significant increase in retail purchases through delivery service companies, as opposed to traditional wholesale imports via cargo fleets, particularly for the four mentioned product categories.

"We have included these four products in the [MFN] classification due to the substantial rise in transactions through delivery services, especially in the cosmetics sector, which could ultimately impact domestic industrial growth," Fadjar Donny Tjahjadi, the Finance Ministry's Director of Customs, was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

Four years ago, the government had similarly incorporated textiles, apparel, footwear, and bags into the MFN tariff list.

Fadjar added that, aside from these specific products, retail purchases made via delivery service companies are subject to a flat tariff of 7.5 percent.