LEGISLATORS are now looking at regulating shipping rates in the country and lowering costs for importers, in efforts to decrease prices of consumer goods.
In a statement, speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the House of Representatives will work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to “swiftly” pass a measure to regulate shipping rates.
“Local producers who import raw materials are forced to pay these exorbitant shipping fees, which jack up their production costs, and, in the process, result in higher prices for domestic consumers,” he said.
According to Cayetano, the high shipping fees force importers to pass on these costs to consumers, leading to higher prices of goods.
“Ang pinoprotektahan natin dito, in the end, ay ang ating consumers. This will also help the government improve its tax collection capabilities,” he said. (GMA News)
