DA proposes uniform tariff on meat imports

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to propose a uniform tariff system for all imported meat products following increased discrepancies and instances of technical smuggling.

“We will conduct a thorough review and consult with legal experts to impose a uniform tariff on all meat products imported to the country,” said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.

“It appears that there is a discrepancy leaning towards a great volume of offals which are being declared as such when they arrive in the Philippines even if these are actually good meat,” he added.

This is an indication of technical smuggling where importers pay only a five percent tariff for offals instead of the 35 percent excise tax on good meat.

Good meat products are the prime cuts or considered of higher quality while offals comprise such parts as ears, feet, tails, hearts, tongues and others discarded after processing of meat cuts.

“If they are able to succeed in misdeclaring good meat into offals, that would mean a reduction of about 30 percent in the tariff that they (importers) are supposed to pay to the government,” Piñol said.

The Agri chief is looking at the cancellation of the special five percent tariff and instead impose the uniform 35 percent tax on all imported meat products.

To recall, the country’s pork producers have been urging the government to increase the tariff on offals and level them with that of prime cuts to protect the interest of domestic producers and lessen the dependence on imports.