Indonesia Finance Chief Defends Stimulus Amid Deficit Concerns

Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, who took office a week ago after the ouster of his predecessor, defended plans to dramatically stimulate the economy against concerns they could undermine the country’s hard-won fiscal standing.

“This is simply optimizing budget allocations to improve the economy without significantly changing the deficit,” Purbaya said at a briefing in Jakarta to unveil a further 16 trillion rupiah ($989 million) of stimulus this year. The aid will go to eight programs, including giving rice aid to poorer Indonesians and tax breaks for small businesses, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said at ...