The Bureau of Customs exempted imported porcelain tiles from the provisional safeguard measure of P3 per square meter.
The move is in response to the request submitted by tiles importers to the Trade Department to exempt imported porcelain tiles from the safeguard measure as these products are not locally-manufactured.
“We told Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez that there is no local manufacturing of porcelain tiles since these are expensive to produce here. And we are delighted that our request has been heard,” Ceramic Tiles Importers Association chairman Napoleon Co said.
Customs Memorandum Order 42-2019 dated Aug. 8, 2019 effectively excluded imported porcelain tiles or tiles with water-based absorption of less than 0.5 percent from the list of products subject to the safeguard measure.
Under the order, porcelain tiles and unglazed, porcelain, mosaic and marble tiles originating from developing countries would not be subject to the provisional safeguard measure.
The safeguard measure will not also cover glazed ceramic tiles imported from the EU as they do not compete with locally-manufactured tiles.
Co said the provisional tariff was expected to result in 20-percent to 30-percent increase in the price of ordinary ceramic tiles and 20 percent in the cost of high-end tiles.
Co said most imported tiles were of high-end grade which are the types of property developers.
Imported porcelain tiles cost $5 per square meter, compared to ordinary ceramic tiles which are priced at $2 per sqm.
Co said porcelain tiles are used mainly by institutional clients such as hotels, posh condominiums and other high-end properties.
The Trade Department in May 2019 initiated a preliminary investigation, upon the prodding of Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Inc., to determine whether increased imports of ceramic tiles caused or threatened to cause serious injury to the local tile manufacturing industry.