BANGKOK, Oct 9 – The European-Asean Business Centre (EABC) has urged Thailand to improve its industrial standardisation system for automotive products to meet international certification procedures, according to Industry Minister Pongsvas Svasti.
The standardisation process of an automobile takes 43 days excluding testing either in Thailand or abroad, he said.
Mr Pongsvas said he had asked the Thai Industrial Standards Institute to speed up the process in order to meet universal conformity.
To prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, Thailand should change some regulations to encourage overseas investment and contribute to the kingdom’s position as an investment hub for the region, he quoted EABC automotive investors as saying.
The investors also urged Thailand to promote vocational education particularly in fields in high demand in the industrial sector.
EABC also called on government to update and simplify information on water management for the benefit of investors’ decisions.
The industry minister said the EABC is keen on the government’s planned restructuring of automotive excise taxes which will emphasise reduced carbon dioxide emissions, instead of engine horsepower.
He gave assurances that the new tax structure will be fair to every automotive company as well as encourage automotive investment, especially regarding fuel savings.
