Govt mulls tariff hike on 'sugar in disguise'

If the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) can prove that pre-mixed juices are sugar in disguise, the government could slap a higher tariff on such commodities, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said Thursday. In an interview, Zubiri called these commodities “sugar importations under the guise of pre-mixed beverages" with only one percent of a non-sugar substance — food coloring. The senator said these practices by “certain unscrupulous businessmen" deprive the local sugar industry of the market “that should be theirs." “Without the tariff for these importations, there is no way our local sugar planters and producers could compete with Thailand where most of these importations are coming from," Zubiri explained. The importation of pre-mixed beverages enjoys zero-tariff. Maria Regina Martin, the SRA chief, the commodities must be slapped a 38-percent tariff if previous analyses confirm that imported pre-mixed beverages are 99-percent sugar in disguise. The SRA said the tariff increase will benefit around four million local sugar farmers, producers, and their sugar farm-workers. Martin said the agency is open to conducting further analyses for the sake of the industry. Zubiri initiated a meeting on Wednesday among representatives of the SRA, Bureau of Customs, and Confederation of Sugar Producers’ Associations Inc. — the largest federation of sugarcane farmers in the Philippines. The association’s national president, Marcelino Aganon, and Negros-Panay chairman Raymond Montinola represented the producers. — PE/VS GMA News