Indonesia to impose sugary drink tax in July 2025
Indonesia plans to impose an excise tax on sugary packaged beverages starting July 2025, aiming to curb excessive sugar consumption and address rising health concerns, the country’s Finance Ministry announced.
Indonesia plans to impose an excise tax on sugary packaged beverages starting July 2025. Photo courtesy of jakartaglobe.id.
Nirwala Dwi Heryanto, spokesperson for the directorate general of Customs and Excise, said on Monday that the government aims to collect IDR3.08 trillion ($190.3 million) in excise tax revenue from sugary drinks in 2025, a significant decrease from the IDR 4.3 trillion target in 2024.
According to him, the government will set regulations to define the scope and thresholds of the tax. Beverages with sugar content below a specified level will be exempt. The tax will apply to factory-produced sugary drinks as well as those sold in stores, including beverages from cafes and bubble tea shops.
This policy seeks to curb excessive sugar consumption, a key factor contributing to the rise in diabetes cases. A 2023 Indonesian Health survey by the Ministry of Health revealed that 11.7% of Indonesia’s population of over 270 million suffer from diabetes. Experts attribute this increase to a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diets, including growing preferences for sugary drinks.
Data from the Centre for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) highlights that annual sugary drink consumption in Indonesia surged 15-fold over two decades, from 51 million liters in 1996 to 780 million liters in 2014. This rapid growth has made Indonesia the third-largest consumer of sugary drinks in Southeast Asia.
The excise tax on sugary drinks, first proposed in 2009 by the Ministry of Finance, has faced multiple delays due to opposition from businesses concerned about inflation and potential harm to the industry. The ministry has reiterated that the economic context will be carefully considered when implementing the tax.
Nailul Huda, digital economy director at the Center for Economic and Legal Studies (Celios), suggested adopting a progressive taxation model, where tax rates are based on sugar content. Under this system, products with higher sugar levels will face higher rates, potentially boosting revenue while encouraging healthier production practices.
- Read More
Gold exchange, gold derivatives, gold ETFs proposed to be launched in Vietnam
Forming a gold exchange under state management in Vietnam is suitable to the reality, said Dao Xuan Tuan, head of the foreign exchange management department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).
Finance - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 9:00 pm GMT+7
Real estate major Novaland wins key approval for $5 bln project in central Vietnam
Novaland Group (HoSE: NVL), one of Vietnam’s leading property developers, has received investment approval for its flagship project worth $5 billion in the central province of Lam Dong after years of delay due to legal obstacles.
Real Estate - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 4:20 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's plastics heavyweights Tien Phong, Binh Minh report profit surges
Tien Phong Plastic (HNX: NTP) recorded pre-tax profit of nearly VND949 billion ($36.04 million) in the first nine months of the year, exceeding its full-year target by 10.85%, while Binh Minh Plastic (HoSE: BMP) achieved record net profit of VND350 billion ($13.29 million) in Q3, surpassing its VND330 billion milestone set in the previous quarter.
Companies - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 4:17 pm GMT+7
Vietnam, Finland firms sign multiple MoUs on satellite, cybersecurity, aviation partnerships
A series of cooperation agreements were signed between Vietnam and Finland on Tuesday, within the framework of Party chief To Lam's official visit to Helsinki, while bilateral relationship was lifted to a "strategic partnership".
Economy - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 12:43 pm GMT+7
Trung Nam Ca Na seeks to convert agri-forest land for $147 mln industrial park in central Vietnam
Industrial park developer Trung Nam Ca Na is seeking approval to convert about 170 hectares of agricultural and forest land for the construction of a VND3,875 billion ($147 million) project in Vietnam’s central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.
Industrial real estate - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 10:54 am GMT+7
PV Power's arm posts 5-fold jump in Q3 profit on margin recovery
PetroVietnam Power Nhon Trach 2 JSC (HoSE: NT2) reported a sharp rebound in third-quarter earnings as improved margins and higher revenue lifted profits nearly fivefold from a year earlier.
Companies - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 8:37 am GMT+7
TCBS overtakes SSI to become Vietnam’s largest securities company by market cap
Over 2.3 billion shares of Techcom Securities JSC (TCBS) debuted on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) on Tuesday. The stock, TCX, recorded the highest price and the largest market capitalization in the Vietnamese securities sector.
Finance - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 10:27 pm GMT+7
Indonesia’s palm oil industry becomes investment magnet
Indonesia’s palm oil sector attracted IDR52.7 trillion, or approximately $3.2 billion, in investment during the first nine months of this year, with the money going into enabling the country to capture more value out of its top commodity, the country’s Ministry of Investment reported.
Southeast Asia - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 9:34 pm GMT+7
Indonesia reports strong job, investment growth
The Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs reported strong job and investment growth during the first year of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, compared with the first year under his predecessor.
Southeast Asia - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 9:29 pm GMT+7
Singapore grants conditional approval for 1GW low-carbon power import from Malaysia
Singapore has granted conditional approval to import 1 GW of low-carbon electricity from the Malaysian state of Sarawak, marking a new phase in the energy partnership between the two countries.
Southeast Asia - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 9:26 pm GMT+7
Margin lending in Vietnam’s stock market hits record, but not worrisome
Despite margin debt in Vietnam’s stock market surging sharply, experts believe that current margin pressure is not yet a major concern as top securities firms have significantly strengthened their capital buffers.
Finance - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 4:23 pm GMT+7
Lenders in Vietnam now in low-rate lending race: ACB exec
The biggest “headache” for banks in Vietnam now is that profit margins are getting thinner, said CEO of Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) Tu Tien Phat.
Banking & Finance - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 4:00 pm GMT+7
PV Gas - 35 years of innovation and technological leadership in Vietnam’s gas industry
Over the past 35 years of establishment and development (1990-2025), PV Gas, a subsidiary of state-owned giant Petrovietnam, has affirmed its pioneering position in Vietnam’s gas industry, marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements in science and technology.
Companies - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 3:45 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's consumer finance major F88 achieves 90% of year's profit target after 9 months
F88 Investment JSC (F88), a leading consumer finance company in Vietnam, reported a cumulative pre-tax profit of VND603 billion ($22.88 million) in the first nine months of 2025, a 2.5-fold increase year-on-year, reaching 90% of its full-year target of VND673 billion.
Companies - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 3:15 pm GMT+7
Vietnam corporate earnings to be driven by credit expansion, trading activity, property recovery
With Q3 earnings season underway, results are expected to come in broadly in line with expectations. Financials should remain the largest contributors, benefiting from credit expansion and trading activity, while real estate continues to recover as project launches and sales rates improve, writes Tung Dang, associate director at Dragon Capital.
Economy - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 2:33 pm GMT+7
Inland port opens in southern Vietnam province Tay Ninh, set to become border logistics hub
The 16.5-hectare Tan Cang-Moc Bai inland port in Tay Ninh province, southern Vietnam has been opened, offering logistics services and handling customs clearance for imports and exports.
Infrastructure - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 12:03 pm GMT+7
