Displaying items by tag: Duty

Philippines: The Cement Importers Association of the Philippines (CIAP) has filed a petition before the court of tax appeals requesting that the government refunds their past cement safeguard duty payments. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that CIAP members say that the duty is unlawful as imports pose no threat to the domestic cement industry. The total sum for which importers are seeking reimbursement is US$25.4m.

The three-year imposition of duties by the government’s Department of Trade and Industry ends in 2022.

Bangladesh: Cement producers are warning of price rises due to a ‘significant’ rise in international freight rates. The Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) has expressed concern about the situation, according to the New Nation newspaper. Freight rates to transport clinker from Indonesia, Vietnam or the Middle-East have increased by up to 30% in the last few months. The BCMA has called on the government to cut import duties to keep consumer prices low.

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued an order amending its previous order on cement safeguards. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that the amendment extends safeguard measures to 13 new countries which now exceed the necessary 3% import volume share. These are Chile, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Israel, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and South Korea. Imported cement from these countries will now face a safeguard duty of US$0.2/bag. An official source quoted by the newspaper called the surge in importation from these countries "trade diversion" tactics by importers since these countries were previously exempt from the safeguard duty.

South Africa: The International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) started a ‘sunset’ review in December 2020 of import tariffs imposed on cement from Pakistan. The investigation will last up to 18 months, according to Moneyweb. Existing anti-dumping duties, which were first implemented in 2015, will remain in place during proceedings.

The review by ITAC follows lobbying by the Concrete Institute (TCI) in 2019 to add additional protection against imports of cement from other countries like Vietnam. Construction industry data company Industry Insight reports that Vietnam accounted for 70% or 0.47Mt of the 0.68Mt of cement imported into South Africa in the first nine months of 2020. The remaining 30% or 0.20Mt came from Pakistan.

Philippines: The Tariff Commission (TC) has said that it was unaware of a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) order imposing higher-than-scheduled duties on imports of cement. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that TC commissioner Ernesto Albano said that it was legally ‘impossible’ for rates to rise above the previously scheduled US$0.19/bag. The DTI order in December 2020 set a duty of US$0.20/bag in the second year of the three-year tariff scheme. Albano said, "The DTI cannot do that. The schedule has been set.” He added, “The industry should improve so the duty should go down."

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has implemented the new rate imposed by the DTI.

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has raised the import duty per 40kg bag of cement to US$0.20 from US$0.19. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that the department issued the administrative order following a petition from the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP). The petition suggested a US$0.25/bag levy as an effective means to maintain domestic cement production. The association has blamed growing imports on a surplus in countries such as Vietnam.

The DTI previously imposed tariffs on imported cement for three year from October 2019 with a staggered reduction in the duty. However, the DTI said it would review the safeguard measure in order to modify the rate as it deemed necessary.

Pakistan: Leading cement producers have said that prices will rise by 10% before 2021 if a reduction in Federal Excise Duty (FED) to US$5.95/t of cement from US$11.9/t does not materialise. DG Khan Cement owner Nishat Group chair Mian Mansha said, “Failing this, producers will take a US$119m total hit on revenues,” according to the Express Tribune newspaper.

Philippines: Phinma Corp.’s cement subsidiary Philcement has ramped up its return to production with the commissioning of a 2.0Mt/yr integrated cement plant with attached terminal facilities in the port of Bataan. The Philippine Star has reported that the company, whose six integrated plants had a majority market share in the country prior to the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, has invested US$100m on its re-entry to production, including on the Bataan facility, since it announced the return of its Union cement brand to the market in 2018.

Phinma Corp. president and CEO Ramón del Rosario said, “We believe in this government’s ‘Build Build Build’ program and we want to help ensure the success of this program by augmenting supply and offering the highest quality cement to support critical projects.”

Phinma Corp. is among domestic producers awaiting the result of an appeal by the country’s importers against the legality of the government’s safeguard duty on imported cement.

US: The restoration of Anchorage Petroleum Cement Terminal in Alaska to fully functioning docking capabilities for oil well cement offloading operations after its ruin in an earthquake of 30 November 2018 will cost US$81m. At a special meeting on 23 October 2019, the port Commission voted to petition the Anchorage Assembly for a progressive tariff increase on all petroleum imports over 10 years to US$399/t from US$116/t.

The works are scheduled for completion by January 2021, with the possibility of a reduction in the rate of tariff increase subject to grants received from the state.

Azerbaijan: The State Statistics Committee says that the country produced more than 3.2Mt/yr of cement in the first nine months of 2018. The record figure is a rise of 21.2% year-on-year from the same period in 2017, according to the Turan Information Agency. The production growth has been attributed to protectionist policies by the local government including introducing tariffs on cement imports. These duties were started in 2016 and will run until 2020.