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Manila suspends rules covering book imports


(Updated) MANILA, Philippines - Manila suspended guidelines covering imported books, allowing importers to bring in foreign-made reading materials tax-free as indicated in an international agreement which the country signed. The Department of Finance (DOF) immediately suspended the implementation of department order No. 17-09 (DO 17-09), which clarified guidelines on duty-free importation of books, the agency said in a statement. The decision was made after the DOF recognized various issued raised by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Philippines, and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the statement said. “We believe that the NBDB, UNESCO, and the DFA have valid issues that needed to be resolved before we could finalize the guidelines on the duty-free importation of books," DOF Secretary Margarito B. Teves said. In March, the DOF issued DO 17-09 which listed requirements that will allow book importers to bring in their shipments without paying any taxes as indicated in the 1950 Florence Agreement. The Philippines became a signatory to the agreement in August 1979. The order was issued “to remove discretion among customs officers, increase transparency, and improve accountability in the duty-free importation of books," Secretary Teves said. “It has never been our intention to impede the free flow of books as enshrined in the UNESCO Florence Agreement, and we fully support free exchange of ideas and knowledge which is accomplished primarily by means of books, publications and educational, scientific and cultural materials," he added. Duties collected from imported books in the first four months of the year reached P1.7 million, which forms a minuscule part of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) P277 billion revenue goals. “We are not really after revenues in this case," Customs Commissioner Napoleon L. Morales said. “We just want to have clear guidelines on the required documents for the duty-free importation of books so that there’s no room for possible harassment of book importers by some of our customs officers." For its part, Malacañang approved the elimination of taxes on imported books “to ensure more public access to books and educational materials," deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said. “The President thinks that education holds the key to true progress and is the foundation of a strong and vibrant democracy," Fajardo said. After the DOF released guidelines covering duty-free imported books, the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (Unacom) said levying taxes on foreign-made reading materials would discourage reading. The guidelines are also against government efforts to promote reading among children and the youth, the Unacom said. - GMANews.TV
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