Overview of Non-Tariff Barrier

• Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

  Plant and animal health regulations

• Technical barriers to trade

  Regulations on the contents of products, the process by which they were manufactured, their labelling, etc.

• Pre-shipment inspection and other formalities

  Requirements that goods be checked or licenses secured before they can be imported

• Contingent trade-protective measures

  Policies that protect the economy from the impact of certain imports , such as anti-dumping measures, safeguards for agriculture, etc

• Non-automatic licensing, quotas, prohibitions and quality control, measures other than for SPS or TBT reasons

  Policies that limit the total number of imports of a certain good, such as quotas, rules stating that imported goods can only be used in certain industries or temporary bans on certain products

• Price-control measures, including additional taxes and charges

  Charges or taxes (other than tariffs) that change the price of imports, for example, by ensuring that imports do not undercut the price of domestically-produced goods

• Finance Measures

  Policies that regulate access to foreign exchange for imports, for example, by requiring deposits to be paid in advance, or that customs duties must be paid ahead of time.

• Measures affecting competition

  For example, compulsory requirements to use national services, or use of a single state-owned importer of some goods

• Trade-related investment measures

  Requirements that goods should contain a certain proportion of locally-produced content, or policies that limit imports based on the performance of exports

• Distribution restrictions

  Measures which make it harder to sell imported goods in all parts of the market, for example, by stating that goods can only be sold in areas that meet certain conditions

• Restriction on post-sale services

  Policies stating that post-sale services (customer services, repair services , etc) must be provided by a local company

• Subsidies

  Money from government for domestic producers, making it harder for importers to compete

• Government procurement restrictions

  Ensuring that government buy goods from domestic producers

• Intellectual Property

  Ensuring that imports comply with patents, trademarks, industrial designs , copyright, geographical indications

• Rules of Origin

  Rules requiring products to be able to demonstrate in which countries they were produced , often so that it can be determined whether the good can benefit from preferential access under a bilateral free trade agreement

• Export-related measures

  Policies undertaken by the exporter’s government, for example, to limit exports to a certain country through trade embargos , or to reduce exports to keep domestic prices low

The Philippines maintains a two-tiered tariff policy for sensitive agricultural products, including rice, corn, pork, chicken meat, sugar, and coffee. These products are subject to a tariff-rate quota (TRQ), and all imports outside the minimum access volume are taxed at a higher out-of-quota rate. In-quota and out-of-quota tariff rates averaged 36.5% and 41.2%, respectively, and have not changed since 2005.

40%

Chicken, frozen or chilled

Turkey livers, frozen or chilled

Potatoes, fresh and chilled

Roasted coffee beans

At present, a few TRQ products have achieved unified in-quota and out-of-quota tariff rates, including chicken, frozen or chilled (40%); turkey livers, frozen or chilled (40%); potatoes, fresh and chilled (40%); and roasted coffee beans (40%). Currently, an additional special safeguard duty is in place for chicken meat, which effectively doubles the rate of out-of-quota tariff protection. Administrative Order (A.O.) 9 of 1996, as amended by A.O. 8 of 1997 and A.O. 1 of 1998, established rules for implementing TRQs and allocating import licenses.