PCAG adds P274 million to govt. tax take

BOC collection surplus on a roll since June 2020

On Mar 16, 2021

Bureau of Customs spokesman and Assistant Commissioner for Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG), Atty. Vincent Maronilla, receiving the Plaque of Appreciation bestowed on him by the National Press Club (NPC) thru its president, Paul M. Gutierrez, for his unstinting support to the members of the press during the worst period of the lockdown last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic (stock photo)

THE Post Clearance Audit Group of the Bureau of Customs (PCAG-BOC) is proving to be instrumental in boosting government revenue after adding more than P247 million in additional duties and taxes in first two months of the year.

In a report to Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, Atty. Vincent ‘Jett’ Maronilla, PCAG assistant commissioner and concurrent BOC spokesperson, said that from January to February, his group generated a total of P247,369,347.16 as a result of their intensified post-clearance audit verification and investigation of importers suspected to have violated the provisions of RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

Citing official data, Maronilla said the additional revenue came from the 6 outstanding ‘Final Demand Letters’ (FDL) they sent out to erring consignees and from the 48 applications under the bureau’s ‘Prior Disclosure Program’ (PDP) being administered by PCAG.

Of the PDP applications, the official said these include 31 importers of ‘Mechanically Deboned Meat’ (MDM) undergoing audit which resulted to the collection of P67,596,830.74; 13 PDP applications were from rice importers that yielded an additional revenue of P6,741,407.

Maronilla also reported to Guerrero on the status of PCAG also reported on the status of previously issued ANLs, where 6 PDP applications were approved and 7 Final Audit Reports (FARs) completed.

These resulted in the issuance of 6 new Demand Letters (DLs) amounting to P41,173,506.53 and one (1) Clean Report Findings. The DLs shall become final and demandable upon the lapse of 15 days from receipt of the importer.

Maronilla also said that PCAG has forwarded to the bureau’s Legal Service 11 outstanding demand letters for the filing of the necessary collection suit against the importers involving more than P6.9 billion in potential revenue for the BOC.

Meanwhile, the BOC continues with its ‘collection roll’ after again surpassing its assigned target for February by nearly 10 percent.

Data from the bureau’s Financial Service disclosed that last month, actual collection reached P46.145 billion, versus the revenue target of P42.157 billion or a surplus of P3.988 billion, which is also equivalent to 9.5 percent above target.

Since June 2020, or for the past 8 months, the BOC has been consistently surpassing its monthly collection goal. Last January, the BOC also collected a surplus of P3.277 billion or 7.4 percent higher than its assigned target.

For February, 10 out of the bureau’s 17 collection districts surpassed their assigned collection targets, namely: the Port of Legaspi, Port of Tacloban, Port of Cagayan De Oro, Port of Subic, Port of Batangas, Port of Iloilo, Port of Clark, Port of Davao, Port of Manila, and, Manila International Container Port.