Customs misses April target

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) recorded P32.64 billion in total collections in April, 10 percent below the P36.36 billion target for the period, preliminary data from the agency showed.

Revenue for April was also slightly down from the P32.71 billion it generated in the same month last year.

“Our target has been P2 billion per day and we are currently at 80 percent with P5 billion behind target. The suspension of work has affected our collections, especially the two-day ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) event,” BOC spokesperson Mandy Anderson told The STAR in a text message.

According to preliminary data, the top performing port in April was the Manila International Container Port (MICP) with P9.28 billion in collections. However, it missed its target collection of P11.26 billion by almost 18 percent.

MICP was followed by the port of Batangas with P7.22 billion in revenue, port of Manila with P6.19 billion, Ninoy Aquino International Airport with P2.28 billion, and Port of Limay with P2.08 billion.

The remaining ports registered less than P2 billion in revenue for the period.

The BOC is the second largest tax collecting arm of the government, traditionally contributing about 20 percent of total tax revenues.

Earlier, the BOC reported that it collected P104.9 billion in taxes and other tariff in the first quarter, exceeding the P104.28 billion target for the period.

The agency expects to collect P468 billion this year, up from the 2016 level of P396.37 billion.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon earlier said this target is “achievable” with the reforms being rolled out in the bureau, such as intensified operations against smuggling and the implementation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.