WHEREAS, there is an urgent necessity to make further
amendments to existing laws governing the importation of foreign leaf
tobacco for blending purposes in order to make them more responsive to
the needs of the local cigarette manufacturers and thereby transform
them into a more effective instrument by which the government may
generate more revenue without unduly disturbing the price levels already
attained by the locally-produce Virginia leaf tobacco;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution,
do hereby decree and order that Section 4 of Republic Act No. 4155, as
amended by Presidential Decree Nos. 62, 446 and 504, be further amended
to read as follows:
"SECTION 4. Importation of foreign leaf tobacco only
for blending purposes.—No person will import leaf tobacco except as
herein provided. When the Philippine Virginia Tobacco Administration
believes that it is necessary to improve the quality of locally made
cigarettes and there are no sufficient stocks of foreign leaf tobacco
for blending purposes available in the country, it may authorize any
bona-fide cigarette manufacturer, owned or controlled by Filipino
citizens, to import foreign leaf tobacco for blending purposes, subject
to limitation, requirements, rules and regulations to be promulgated by
the Philippine Virginia Tobacco Administration. In no case shall the
total importation into the country exceed six (6) million kilograms in
any year unless the exigencies of the industry require otherwise. The
tariff or tax to be imposed and collected on foreign leaf tobacco so
imported shall be an amount equivalent to one hundred percentum (100%)
of its landed cost; Provided, however, that such tariff or tax shall not
be more than Fourteen Pesos (P14.00) for every kilogram of imported
foreign leaf tobacco irrespective of grade and cost."
This Decree is hereby made part of the law of the land and shall
take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 28th
day of July, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.
(Sgd.)
FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President
Republic of the Philippines
By the President:
(Sgd.)
ALEJANDRO MELCHOR
Executive Secretary