Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Vietnamese tunaexporters have struggled to compete with Thai and Philippine firms in theJapanese market due to high taxes, according to the Vietnam Association ofSeafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
In a letter sent to the Ministry of Industryand Trade on February 13, VASEP called on the ministry to review taxes applied onVietnamese tuna products shipped to Japan and put the issue on table with theJapanese side in an effort to bring them to the zero percent tariffs that Thaiand Filipino exporters enjoy.
According to VASEP, Japan is one ofVietnam’s eight biggest tuna export markets. However, Vietnamese tuna exportsto this market have continuously dropped since 2013 due to high taxes.
Statistics from Japanese customs showed thattax rates levied on canned yellowfin tuna exported to Japan from Thailand fell from4.8 percent in 2009 to zero percent in April 2012 according to the Japan-ThailandEconomic Partnership Agreement.
The rate for the Philippines also decreased tozero percent in April 2013 thanks to the generalised system of preferences,while the rate remains up to 9.6 percent for Vietnam despite the Vietnam –Japan Economic Partnership Agreement became effective in October 2009.
The association pointed out that in theASEAN – Japan comprehensive economic partnership agreement, there is no roadmapfor Vietnam to enjoy zero percent taxes like the two above-mentioned countries.
According to VASEP, tuna products contributebetween 450-550 million USD per year to the country’s total export value.-VNA
VNA
