煙草在線據InterAksyon報道編譯　　盡管泰國延期執行世界貿易組織做出的認定曼谷對進口卷煙的征稅具有歧視性的裁決，但菲律賓決定放泰國一馬。

　　1月20日，菲律賓貿易大臣Gregory L. Domingo對記者說，盡管泰國未能遵守世界貿易組織的裁決，但菲律賓不準備再把泰國訴上仲裁法庭。

　　他說：“這只是討論中的一個選擇，但它并不是你在開始階段就做的事情?！?/p>

　　在曼谷決定對菲莫國際泰國公司在2003年至2007年間，沒有足額申報進口產品的海關價值，違反了世界貿易組織的裁決而提起訴訟之后，Gregory L. Domingo發表了以上講話。

　　回憶一下事件的發展，世界貿易組織在2011年作出裁決，認定曼谷對菲莫公司菲律賓子公司的出口煙草的征稅具有歧視性，違反了全球貿易法則。

　　自世界貿易組織做出不利泰國的裁決之后，泰國批準了一項皇家法令，廢除了泰國產卷煙的轉銷商享受的增值稅豁免權，使得這些產品與不享有增值稅豁免的進口產品平價。

　　不過，菲律賓世貿代表團說，泰國海關上訴委員會對2002年至2003年期間的進口煙草的某些海關評估條目的裁定與世界貿易組織的規則“不一致”。

　　盡管菲律賓和泰國貿易官員于去年5月在曼谷舉行了非正式磋商，但菲律賓貿易工業部后來堅持認為，泰國在遵守世貿裁決上還是拖拉，不夠合作。

　　去年年底，菲律賓貿易部副部長小Adrian Cristobal說，菲律賓已經要求泰國對關于它未遵守世貿裁決的一些問題做出回應。

　　Adrian Cristobal說，如果菲律賓認定泰國的回應為不遵守裁決，則馬尼拉就會將曼谷帶入導致賠償的遵守裁決訴訟。

　　據世界貿易組織規定，當“執行方到合理期限結束時仍未能取得被執行方全面執行裁決，”則執行方可以獲得賠償。

　　在泰國這個案例中，遵守世界貿易組織裁決的合理期限在2012年10月失效。

　　世界貿易組織說，賠償“并不意味著就是給付金錢，而是仲裁被訴人要提供一種等于它因實施自己的做法而造成損失或喪失的同等利益，例如降低關稅等。”

PH Cutting Thailand Some Slack Despite Delayed Compliance with WTO Tobacco Ruling

　　The Philippines is cutting Thailand some slack amid its delayed compliance with a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that found Bangkok's taxes on cigarette imports to be discriminatory.

　　Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo on Monday told reporters that the Philippines is not about to bring Thailand back to arbitration despite its failure to comply with the WTO ruling.

　　"That is an option on the table but that is not something that you do at the start. Marami pa tayong interests sa kanila," he said.

　　Domingo's statement comes after Bangkok decided to prosecute Philip Morris International Thailand for allegedly under-declaring the customs value of imports between 2003 to 2007 in violation of the WTO ruling.

　　To recall, the WTO in 2011 ruled that Bangkok's taxes on tobacco exports of Philip Morris' Philippine unit were discriminatory and so violated global trading rules.

　　Since the WTO ruled against it, Thailand has adopted a royal decree abolishing the value-added tax (VAT) exemption enjoyed by resellers of locally made cigarettes, making them at par with imports, which were not VAT-exempt.

　　The Philippine WTO mission however said the Thai Customs' Board of Appeals ruling on certain customs valuation entries of imported tobacco from 2002 to 2003 were "inconsistent" with WTO rules.

　　Despite informal consultations between Philippine and Thai trade officials held in Bangkok in May of last year, DTI two months later insisted that Thailand was dragging its feet on compliance.

　　Late last year, Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. said the Philippines had asked Thailand to respond to a number of questions pertaining to its non-compliance with the WTO ruling.

　　If the Philippines deems Thailand's response as noncompliant, Manila would drag Bangkok into compliance proceedings leading to compensation, Cristobal had said.

　　Compensation may be obtained when an "implementing member does not achieve full compliance by the end of the reasonable period of time" to comply, according to the WTO.

　　In the case of Thailand, the reasonable period of time to comply with the WTO ruling lapsed in October of 2012.

　　Compensation "does not mean monetary payment; rather, the respondent is supposed to offer a benefit, for example a tariff reduction, which is equivalent to the benefit which the respondent has nullified or impaired by applying its measure," the WTO said. Enditem