Meat Import Taxes Raised

VIET NAM - Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Xuan Ha has issued decision which increases import taxes on poultry and poultry by-products brought into Vietnam to 40 percent - by three-fold against the current rate.

7 October 2008

4 minute read

An official source reports that under Decision Number 83/2008/QÐ-BTC, fresh and frozen chicken, duck, swan, goose and pheasant from Japan had its tax increased from 15 percent to 40 percent. Poultry thigh, wing and liver alone had a tax increase of from 5 percent to 20 percent; feed for poultry and pigs (2309 Group) increased from 5 percent to 8 percent.

Various cuts and types of frozen beef (0201 and 0202 Groups) suffered an import tax increase of 2 percent (from 15 percent to 17 percent) while the import tax of fresh and frozen pork (0203 Group) also rose from 25 percent to 27 percent.

An import tax of 13 percent was applied for fresh and frozen by-products from pigs, buffaloes, cows, sheep, goats, horses and asses (Group 0206). At present, by-product types were not listed under the new 10 percent application. The tax rate of 10 percent will be applied for custom declarations for imported commodities from 12 October 2008.

The Ministry of Finance said that the import tax increase was decided upon after the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) had advised that prices of domestic poultry and cattle meats were cheaper than the prices of poultry and meat from domestic breeding, which had driven the ration of imported poultry and meat against domestic up by 20-fold against the whole of 2007 in the first eight months of 2008.

On 17 September, MARD held an emergency meeting to discuss urgent solutions to help the domestic breeding sector. Nguyen Xuan Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry said that in the first eight months of this year, poultry products imported into Vietnam reached 103,401 tons, a three-fold increase against that of the whole of 2007.

Specifically, pork products (meat and internal organs) saw a 20-fold increase in the amount of imports against 2007, with more than 8,612 tons. By import value, in the first seven months this year, the country imported meat to values of US$82.7 million (poultry), $12.5 million (pork) and $17.2 million (beef).

Together with imported meat, the high cost of breeding feed is one of the main reasons challenging the current domestic breeding sector. Statistics by the Department of Animal Husbandry show that compared to the end of 2007, the cost of feed has increased by 40-60 per cent.

Another official news agency reports that import taxes will rise from 2 per cent to 17 per cent for fresh and frozen cattle meat and to 27 per cent for pork (currently 25 per cent). For frozen beef by-products, pork, lamb, mutton, goat and horse meat, the import tariff rate will rise from 10 to 13 per cent .

The new import tariff will be applied to imported goods submitted to customs offices from next week.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, deputy head of the Agricultural Ministry's breeding department said that it would focus on regulating imports and exports of meat to help curb inflation and encourage the development of the domestic breeding industry.

Mr Duong said the restriction of poultry and beef imports would help protect the domestic breeding industry but breeders must improve production processes and cut costs.