Business groups cheer lower import duties on EVs

The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (Evap) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) on Friday welcomed the executive order to temporarily lower import taxes on electric vehicles (EV), citing the benefits of the measure to this growing automotive segment.

“This will pave the way for interested buyers to avail [themselves] of EVs at a lower cost and, for sure, more car assemblers will add more models to choose from,” Evap president Edmund Araga told the Inquirer.

Ecosystem

The ECCP also welcomed the measure, but said more could be done in terms of tax policy.

“We reiterate the call for the extended scrapping of EV tariffs coming from all countries, which should last over a span of at least eight years,” Lars Wittig, president of ECCP, said in a separate message sent to the Inquirer.

Emphasizing that the EV sector is an ecosystem based on two pillars, which are the vehicles themselves and the charging station network, the ECCP official said there should also be parallel support for the infrastructure system to power these vehicles.

Still, Wittig expressed their commitment in working with stakeholders in promoting the development of the EV industry, as well as the advancement of smart and safer transportation in the Philippines.