Bridgetown.
Minister of Industry, Internatonal Business, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss has intervene in the tariff with between manufacturers, farmers and foreign restaurant franchises.
Inniss met yesterday morning with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry and representatives of Subway, Burger King and local supermarket owners to hear their concerns regarding the increase in tariff from 20 per cent to 184 per cent for imported processed meats.
Later in the afternoon Minister held a meeting with officials of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) and the Barbados Manufacturers Association (BMA).
“The intention is on Friday morning, to bring all parties together at my office to discuss and see if we can find a resolution to it. We are working on it, through my ministry,” says Inninss.
Last week the local branches of Buger King and Subway claimed the tariff on imported meats were having a serious impact on their businesses.
Frederick George of Alfundi Investment the franchise holder of Subway has publicly said that his two outlets are now faced with closure because of the import duty.
Everick Eastmond a director of Burger King earlier this week said the duty could impact on his company plan to open four more outlet. Yesterday, Andrew Bynoe of Carlton and Emerald City supermarkets said the deli in his two establishments will not be selling season chicken wings until the duty reverts to 20 percent.
Last week, Chief Executive Officer of the BAS, James Paul, at a joint press conference with the BMA warned that more than 500 Barbadian jobs in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors would be lost if the Government removed the import tariff on processed meat.
According to Paul the lower rate which Subway was paying was a mistake within the system, in that the higher tariff had been in place for a long time now. Paul and McKay agreed that the 184 per cent was “something” they had to fight for in order to protect local manufacturers from unfair competition by foreign investors, whose products were heavily subsidised and who got very little of their items from local sources.
