June 2019
Ken discussed possible future reductions of customs duty incentives under TRABAHO, which may have a significant impact on Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) entities. He also gave an overview of Republic Act (RA) No. 10697, or the Strategic Trade Management Act (STMA), which may also have a considerable impact in the near future, especially on export-oriented enterprises.
As a tax committee member of the the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines (JCCI PH), PwC Philippines Japanese Business Development (JBD) Director Kentaro Tojo was one of the resource speakers in JCCI PH's first-ever Customs seminar for Japanese companies on 29 May 2019 at Dusit Thani Manila, Makati City.
The seminar updated Japanese companies on the latest Customs-related developments that have possible impact on their businesses such as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) bill.
The other resource speaker was Mr. Seiji Harumoto, a customs expert from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and currently seconded at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).