Customs posts record collection in January

The Bureau of Customs reported yesterday record collections in January, surpassing its monthly target by 28 percent which officials attributed to increased imports and strict collection procedures.

Customs Commissioner Antonio M. Bernardo said the bureau’s collection last month amounted to P9.591 billion, or about P2.1 billion higher than its target of P7.46 billion.

Compared to last year, Bernardo said last month's collection was also 39 percent higher than the collection of P6.89 billion in January 2002.

Bernardo said all of the country’s major ports performed better than expected, led by the Manila International Container Port (MICP) Customs district at the North Harbor which posted the highest collection amounting to P3.05 billion.

MICP was followed by the Port of Manila at the South Harbor which collected a total of P6.89 billion last month.

On the other hand, Bernardo said the Port of Batangas also performed well, collecting P923 million for the month. This, he said, was 78.9 percent higher than the target.

The Port of Cebu reported a total collection of P193 million, 20 percent higher than the target collection for January.

Other Customs districts that performed well were the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which took in P1.08 billion against a target of P999 million, Subic, P239 million against P205 million, and Davao, P71 million against P59.5 million.

Bernardo said closer monitoring of collections per Customs district helped in meeting and surpassing the target. "We hope this trend will continue in the coming months," he said.

"January is normally a lean month so if our collection is high even then, the signs are very encouraging," he said.

Bernardo said the BOC also has about P2- to P3-billion worth or receivables from the National Food Authority (NFA), representing payments for Customs duties and taxes on imported rice.

The BOC recently clamped down on Customs bonded warehouses, one of the most notorious leaks used by abusive traders for smuggling goods into the country. – Des Ferriols