Indonesia to use $4.6 bln of unspent funds to curb crisis in 2009

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

JAKARTA, Jan. 3 (Chinese media) -- Indonesian government will use part of the 51.3 trillion rupiahs (about 4.6 billion U.S. dollars) of unspent funds in its 2008 coffers to cushion economic slump in 2009, the Jakarta Post daily on Saturday quoted Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani as saying.

The unspent funds, accounting for 5.2 percent of the 2008 state budget which totaled 985.3 trillion rupiah (88.46 billion dollars),were remained due in part to higher-than-expected earnings and lower-than-estimated expenditure this year.

Mulyani said the funds will be used in the form of stimulus for the real sector, and to help plug the 2009 budget deficit currently forecast at 52.73 trillion rupiah (about 5.273 billion dollars) or 1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

"The government may disburse 20 trillion rupiah (2 billion dollars) of the unspent funds to add to the 12.5 trillion rupiah (1.25 billion dollars) allocated in the state budget for waived income tax, value added tax and import duties," she said.