Tariff Commission to start public hearings on EO No. 12 mandatory review

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is set to start the public hearings on Executive Order (EO) No. 12, which will “carefully consider all the views of the industry stakeholders”.

The Tariff Commission (TC), an agency under the NEDA, will conduct the open discussions on the mandatory review of the EO ordering a review of the lower tariff rates for electric vehicles (EVs) and their components.

"The review shall follow the tariff modification process under Section 1608 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and shall be presented to the Committee on Tariff and Related Matters and the NEDA Board," said NEDA chief Arsenio Balisacan.

EO No. 12 is currently undergoing its mandatory review which started on Feb. 21.

Under the order, e-motorcycles are still subjected to a 30% tariff rate under the executive order, while only two-wheeled e-vehicles not exceeding 250w and with a maximum speed of 25 km/hour have 0% import duties.

No EV industry players have so far claimed to have received details on the conduct of an investigation or public hearing relative to the mandatory EO12 review.

This developed despite calls from several groups including the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines and Electric Kick Scooter Philippines appealing for NEDA to propose amendments to the EO to include e-motorcycles on the import tax break.

Last week, Balisacan confirmed the ongoing review of EO No. 12 will include the aforementioned proposals.

Section 1608 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines,  otherwise known as the Flexible Clause, states that before any recommendation is submitted to the President by the NEDA, the TC shall first conduct an investigation and public hearings wherein interested parties shall be afforded the opportunity to be heard.—RF, GMA Integrated News