Asean seeks new common tariff list

Customs chiefs in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are pushing for the implementation on Jan. 1, 2012, of an updated common list of tariffs and products that is said to be “more comprehensive” than the most recent version introduced in 2007.

Officials consider this a milestone toward the realization of an integrated regional economy through the Asean Economic Community by 2015.

According to the Jakarta-based Asean Secretariat, the Asean Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) 2012 will be used both for intra- and extra-trade in goods by Asean member states.

First formulated in 2002, the AHTN raised the number of tariff lines in the Philippines from 5,639 to around 10,800.

The increase was due to the introduction of new tariff lines, which were not previously used in the Philippines but used in other Asean countries.

The AHTN 2012 was endorsed during the 20th Meeting of Asean Directors-General of Customs held last week in Myanmar (Burma).

The importance of customs agencies’ role in facilitating trade in the realization of the Asean Economic Community was again emphasized during the meeting, the Secretariat said in a statement.

There was good progress in customs cooperation, particularly in the implementation of the National Single Windows (NSW) as well as the Asean Single Window (ASW), it added.

According to the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, the Philippines’ most notable achievement related to the Asean Community blueprint is the launching of the country’s NSW system—meant to ease the filing of import and export documents and therefore the flow of goods in intra-Asean trade.

Alexander M. Arevalo, a DoF director in charge of the NSW, earlier said the computerized system is now being used by 27 of the 40 national agencies that are involved in issuing or monitoring import and export permits.

“The Philippines is one of the first Asean members that were able to roll out their respective NSWs,” Arevalo said. “The idea is to enable a region-wide Asean Single Window” when all individual NSWs are working.