Jakarta. Former Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said Tuesday that President-Elect Prabowo Subianto’s free meal plan could help unlock Indonesia’s golden era. 

Indonesia aims to be an advanced economy by its centennial in 2045 -- a goal which the government labels as “2045 Golden Indonesia”. According to Enggartiasto, the program can help bring down the country’s stunting rate. 

“This is an amazing program. I’m glad that [Presidential Advisory Council Chairperson] Wiranto asked me to see the free meal trial in person at Cirebon’s SMP Negeri 1 Middle School. The free meal plan will help children and their plans,” Enggartiasto, who is also the executive chairman of B-Universe Media Holdings, said. 

Without the program, children would have to spend their pocket money to buy food and oftentimes they do not pay attention to the nutritions. While Enggartiasto approves the program, he hopes the government will pay attention to the quality of the food provided by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

“So we need to pay attention to several technical aspects and details, including making sure that all of the food has the same quality. It is also important to make sure that the costs [to make the meals] are not too high,” Enggartiasto said. 

The ex-minister also proposed a tiered tax scheme for MSMEs based on the turnover. He suggested that taxes be imposed in stages, with different rates for each turnover range. For example, for turnover up to Rp 4.85 billion ($321,052), the rate can stand at 0.5 percent.  The tax rate can increase to 0.7 percent if the turnover reaches Rp 7.5 billion. A 1 percent tax rate is applicable if the turnover hits Rp 10 billion. 

"This way, state revenue from taxes will increase without burdening MSMEs excessively," Enggartiasto said.