Calls for the tariffs on imported timber products to be quashed have been made by the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP).
It has appealed to the government to axe the tariffs to counter the disruption of wood supply.
CFIP board chairman Nick de Lange said that although the temporary log ban has been lifted in some areas, a shortage of timber and other wood materials still exists.
And he maintains that if the government relied more on imported timber it would be able to ease the pressure on the country’s own forest resources.
Mr de Lange said that currently lumber and wood veneers have a 7% duty and 10% tax while wood panels have a 10% duty and 10%.
However, he said, imported furniture now has much lower duties ranging from 0% to 5% as they are included under the ASEAN’s accelerated free trade scheme. This means that raw materials cost local furniture makers more than the price of imported furniture.
