Thailand eyes to export more cars to Australia

BANGKOK, April 11 (TNA) - The Ministry of Commerce reports that the Australian government is considering proposals on setting an early expiry period of cars running on nationwide roads and on waiving tariffs of imported automobiles, as raised by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the update of which should benefit Thailand's auto exports to the the Australian market in the future. While releasing the report on April 10, Chantira Yimrewat Wiwatrat, Director-General of the ministry's Department of International Trade Promotion, said that the AAA proposals are expected to be considered during Canberra's working out on the state budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal years, aimed to enhance road safety nationwide and to reduce air pollution. Chantira told journalists that the AAA has proposed the Australian government to set the new expiry period of each automobile running on nationwide roads from 10 to nine years and eliminate tarrifs of imported cars for the sake of more road safety with reduced road accidents and casualties, as well as air pollution, which should save the state budget by more than 3.3 billion Australian dollars although the Australian government should lose its import tariff revenues by about 4.9 billion Australian dollars totally. According to the senior Thai official, the AAA proposals, if finally approved, should be a good opportunity for Thailand to export more cars to Australia, which is now the second largest market of Thai auto exports, after Japan. The senior Thai official pointed out, however, that the new Australian policy, once implemented, should have some negative impacts on Thailand's exports of auto parts to Australia, the 4th largest market of Thai exports of the product after the United States, China and Japan. Based on official statistics, Thailand's exports of automobiles and parts, as well as other auto accessories to the world market reached about 914.39 billion baht last year, with the shipments to the Australian market alone standing at 196.14 billion baht, a 6.8 per cent year-on-year increase. (TNA)