Indonesia suffers near US$15b revenue shortfall in 2019, pressure seen on 2020 budget

Residents ride a motorbike on a flooded street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. Landslides and floods triggered by torrential downpours have left dozens of people dead in and around Indonesia's capital, as rescuers struggled to search for people apparently buried under tons of mud, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

JAKARTA: Indonesia had a nearly $15 billion revenue shortfall last year as slowing economic growth hit government finances and widened the budget deficit, officials said on Tuesday, with analysts warning of more difficulties this year.

The unaudited 2019 fiscal deficit was equal to 2.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), in line with the government's latest estimate but wider than its initial plan of 1.8%, according to finance ministry data.