Bangkok (VNA) – The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI)has called on the governmentto maintain tariff on imported cars at 80percent to protect the local auto manufacturing industry.
Thecall was made by FTI’s domestic carmakers who insisted that any tariffreduction will have impacts on the local automotive and parts sector.
Thegroup urged the Thai government to intensify screening of declared prices ofcar imports to qualify for registration. They also wanted stringent checksto be made on the safety and quality of cars imported on the grey-market as anadded requirement.
Earlierthis year, the FTI forecast automobile production in Thailand will increase to nearly2 million units by the year’s end thanks to an increase in demand. Domesticsale volume is expected to grow to 870,000-900,000 units while exports areprojected to fall 3.48 percent to 1.1 million units as importers apply newrules.
InJune, the Thai Ministry of Industry started construction of a nationalautomobile and tyre testing centre in Chachoengsao province which aims toattract more investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The centre isthe first of its kind in Asia.
ThaiPrime Minister PrayutChan-o-cha has praised the establishment of the centre and urged localbusinesses to make the most of the facility to enhance the country’scompetitiveness.
The centre is expected to be fully operational in2020. It will serve as a learning centre and technology-promoting centre forbusinesses. The centre will allow manufacturers to apply for certificationwithout sending their products abroad. It will also help boost investments in therubber processing industry.–VNA
VNA