Duty-Free Import of Masks and MB Filters Implemented... From the 18th to June 30th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] The government announced on the 17th that it has approved the 'Tariff Quota Regulation (Presidential Decree) Amendment' at the Cabinet meeting to reduce the tariff rate on masks and melt-blown nonwoven fabric (MB filter) to 0% until June 30.

The amended regulation is scheduled to take effect from the date of publication in the official gazette on the 18th.

Accordingly, all imports of masks and MB filters can be imported duty-free until June 30 this year.

Masks are limited to surgical and health masks under Article 2, Clause 7 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and Item 1(a) of the designation of quasi-drugs, and MB filters refer to melt-blown nonwoven fabric, one of the key raw materials for mask production.

This tariff quota measure was promoted as an additional step to expand mask supply, reflecting requests from related ministries and suggestions from field meetings following the announcement of the 'Mask Supply Stabilization Measures' on the 5th.

A government official stated, "This measure is expected to contribute to stabilizing the supply conditions and prices of masks," adding, "With the removal of tariff burdens on surgical to health masks (basic tariff rate 10% → quota tariff rate 0%), domestic supply capacity will expand, and importing MB filters duty-free is also expected to ease the burden on mask manufacturers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.