Jakarta - Indonesia may impose a tax on nickel exports this year, as the country, the biggest producer of the electric-vehicle battery metal, looks to refine more at home, according to President Joko Widodo.

Indonesia considers imposition of tax on nickel exports this year, Indonesia President Joko Widodo (Photo: VNA/AFP)

Widodo confirmed that Southeast Asia’s largest economy is considering introducing a levy in a recent interview with Bloomberg.

That came after an Indonesian government official said early in 2022 that the country was studying a progressive tax on nickel pig iron and ferronickel.

Nickel is one among Indonesia’s major exports, together with coal and palm oil. Late last year, the President said that nickel refining can generate an added value of up to 35 billion USD.