PH to appeal WTO ruling on alcohol tax

The government will ask the World Trade Organization (WTO) to reconsider a ruling that tagged a local excise tax provision discriminatory against foreign alcoholic drinks, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said he has talked with Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo about the tax provision that the WTO deemed discriminatory.

“We will appeal the ruling,” Lacierda said when asked about the issue during Thursday’s news briefing in Malacañang.

A legal panel of the WTO has ruled that the Philippine tax laws discriminate against imported brands of alcohol and favor domestic manufacturers that use alcohol from local sources.

Malacañang’s announcement comes in the wake of a call from a group of local distillers—the Distilled Spirits Association of the Philippines—for the government to appeal the WTO.