08/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - WTO rules Philippines tax regime on the import of spirits to be discriminatory. The report by the WTO special panel on the complaint lodged by the EU against the Philippines' regime on the import of spirits (DS 396), which was published in mid-August, confirmed that the excise tax applied on distilled spirits in the Philippines discriminates against imported spirits. The tax regime, which works against European exporters, brought a 50% fall in exports of spirits to the Philippines between 2004 and 2007. The taxes on imported spirits range for 10 to 50 times higher than those applied to spirits manufactured in the country, the Commission notes in a press release of 15 August. (E.H./transl.rt)