Tariff for cars

[tubigboy]

Why is there a 100% tariff for bringing in a car to the philippines? What industry is being protected here? The jeepney industry? Jeepneys are obsolete. Big gas guzzling tanks!

[otis-onal]

Hey! hey! hey! Calm down Tubig boy!!! The government is not protecting the jeepeny! I for one wanted them scrap!!! But it is righteous for the government to protect the local car manufacturers and assemblers or any investor for that matter because these folks are investing billions of pesos. Are you willing to invest without possible return? They help in creating jobs our government can not provide and neither you!!! Exactly the reason why the Philippines is still a third world country because of the kind of thinking you do!! Why don't you share ideas that's benificial to all specially our country?? Think!!!!

[Teacher]

You will find lots of things that upset you here when it comes to the goverment. But like our countries the goverment is more upsetting, that is why most of us left looking a better way of life. I know you can understand that. Philippines is a third world country let them protect it as they wish. for me I love the philippines it is my home, always will be. If they change their country to be like the west then it would become the west and we all would be looking again for a new homes.

[tubigboy]

I am a bit confused. I thought all the big car companies; toyota, ford, gmc, mitsubishi, etc. are not allowed to set up car manufacturing plants here in the Philippines. They can only set up a partial assembly plant or something to that effect. If they were allowed here then, they could produce a huge amount of jobs and not just 10% workforce because of the laws here in the Philippines. At the same time, there is a 100% tariff on any cars except for these cars coming into the export zones!
Otis, please dont patronize me with your rhetorical projections, 'exactly the reason why the philippines is still a third world country because of the kind of thinking you do!'
So, why doesnt the Philippines open up and change their laws for these major car companies to be able to have full manufacturing capabilities of their cars. trucks, and other vehicles in the Philippines? Also, they can eliminate the 100% tariff on any cars coming into the philippines too? For all intents and purposes, this has already been side stepped by the second hand cars coming into the export zones.
Otis, I suggest that you 'think!' The way the law is set up now, roughly 10% of the workforce is working in these quasi vehicle manufacturing plants, if the Philippine government decided to change their laws, there would be 100% workforce in the vehicle manufacturing plants. This is one of the reasons why the philippines is a third world country. Protecting local or the possibility of local vehicle manufacturing plants. The best and only local vehicle manufacturing over 50 years has been the jeepney!

[tubigboy]

Teacher, I think that you are being a bit selfish. 'If they change their country to be like the west then it would become the west and we all would be looking again for a new homes. ' So, you would rather that the Philippines remains in this '3rd world' condition? For the most part, the only people that these laws are protecting are the entrenched wealthy people. I would like to add that I am not promoting a change to 'western ideas' I am just saying that these vehicle laws and tariffs are not progressive and are actually hurting the economy. The Phiilppines would not need to import used cars through the export zones if they had these big car manufacturing companies actually doing fulfledged operations here. I am not even touching the safety aspect of the present and local vehicle manufacturing here. Do you really think that these local vehicles manufacturing plants are abiding by their fiducial requirements in paying their taxes, etc? These larger vehicle companies, Toyota, Ford, GMC, etc will definitely be more financially responsible (paying their correct taxes, paying a good wage with good benefits for the employees, etc) and dont forget, joe public would have an easier time buying new cars because the loan from these companies is substantially lower than the current bank loans for new vehicles. All of this will increase vehicle sales which means more revenue for the economy.