Govt to review current tariff rates for meat goods

THE Tariff Commission (TC) will conduct a public hearing this week to review the tariff rates of meat products, including offal, on the instructions of Sen. Cynthia A. Villar.

In a notice published on its web site, the TC said it initiated the investigation following the directive from the office of Villar to the National Economic and Development Authority

(Neda) to review the current tariff structure on meat products.

The public hearing via videoconferencing (PHV) of the TC, an attached agency of the Neda, would be held on Thursday, January 25.

The tariff lines involved in the investigation of TC are: 02.01 to 02.02 (meat of bovine animals, fresh, chilled or frozen); 02.03 (meat of swine, fresh chilled, or frozen); 02.04 (meat of sheep or goats, fresh, chilled or frozen); 02.05 (meat of horses, asses, mules or hinnies, fresh, chilled or frozen); and, 02.06 (edible offal of bovine animals, swine, sheep, goats, horses, asses, mules or hinnies, fresh chilled or frozen).

“Interested parties are encouraged to submit their position papers, using the position paper template provided on the Commission’s website on or before 08 February 2023 [end of business hours],” the TC’S notice read.

The TC explained that it is conducting the investigation in line with its function of studying the impact of tariff policies and programs on national competitiveness and consumer welfare.

Villar recently led a Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing regarding the country’s pork supply situation. During the hearing, certain quarters of the pork industry emphasized that the disparity in the tariff rates of various meat products is being used by unscrupulous importers to misdeclare their goods to avoid paying higher tariff rates.