Customs hits 2018 collection target

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced over the weekend that it has already breached its 2018 collection goal of P584.88 billion as 14 out of 17 ports in the country surpassed their respective targets for the year.

Based on the preliminary data from the BOC’s Financial Service, the agency collected P585.542 billion in customs taxes and duties last year, equivalent to 100.1 percent of its 2018 target.

This is also 27.8 percent higher compared to the previous year’s revenue collection of P458.183 billion.

“This feat is attributed to the strong collection performance of the 17 collection districts and the continuing support and cooperation of the men and women of the Bureau of Customs and of our stakeholders,” Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said.

According to the BOC, 14 out of the 17 collection districts nationwide were able to hit their respective annual collection targets.

These were led by the Port of Batangas with total revenue of P142.12 billion, three percent above its P138 billion target.

The BOC said the Port of Limay also generated P40.714 billion in revenue, or 11.9 percent higher than the collection goal.

The Port of Cebu reported P28.904 billion in revenues, 9.5 percent higher than the target, while the Port of Davao posted P25.966 billion in collections or 33.3 percent above target.

The Port of Subic likewise exceeded its target by 5.5 percent with collections reaching P22.341 billion, while the Port of Cagayan De Oro posted a 26.3 percent surplus with reported revenues of P21.483 billion.

Other ports which surpassed their own collection targets are the ports of Iloilo with P4.032 billion in revenues, San Fernando, P3.532 billion; Clark, P1.935 billion; Tacloban, P1.105 billion; Zamboanga, P421 million; Legazpi, P407 million; Aparri, P149 million; and Surigao with P36 million.

While the Manila International Container Port collected the highest revenues amounting to P165.075 billion, the BOC said it was still short of its collection target of P180.656 billion for the whole year.

The Port of Manila also failed to hit its P88.103 billion target as it was able to generate only P86.191 billion. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport also collected P40.85 billion, lower against its revenue target of P46.171 billion.

The BOC had been able to exceed its monthly revenue goals for eight consecutive months from February to September. This was attributed to the increased volume and value of traded goods, higher exchange rate, as well as improved enforcement and correct valuation and tariff classification in all ports.

Guerrero said while the BOC seeks ways to stop corruption within the agency, the improvement of the bureau’s collection performance will remain a top priority.

“We still need to strengthen our collection efforts and do better to achieve our goal of a consistent and enhanced collection performance,” he said.

The BOC raised its 2019 collection target by 14.6 percent to P670 billion in support of the government’s massive infrastructure program.