BoI pushes eco-car project
The Board of Investment (BoI) asked 10 auto-makers yesterday to propose plans to set-up a platform for an environmentally-friendly car project within two weeks.
Secretary-general Satit Charnjavanakul said in asking for investment privileges, auto-makers need not comply with every condition for their export production. They could change some conditions to match the demands of individual countries, he said. This meant a new platform for the BoI to grant privileges was necessary. If the auto-makers could comply with the rules in the platform, they would be entitled to investment privileges even though production was export-oriented. Earlier, the BoI appeared to only want to promote domestic-oriented manufacturing, in which maximum tax privileges would apply. However, auto-makers complained they could not comply with all the rules, particularly the requirement that at least 100,000 units must be produced in the fifth year. Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, honorary president of the Thai Automotive Industry Association, said auto-makers had called for the BoI to talk to the Excise Department on more flexibility for engine sizes in the eco-car project both for export and domestic markets.
|
