The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Palawan exceeded its 2019 first quarter collection targets of import duties and other taxes by 109.22 percent, a local customs official said Wednesday.
Alpha Grace Castro, the customs collector in the province, told Palawan News that they have collected a total of P49,020,939 for duties, taxes, and other charges that exceeded their collection target of P23,430,735.
“Ito po ay composition ng collections ng duties, taxes, and other charges sa lahat ng ini-import at ini-export sa Palawan. Pero ang export kasi wala masyadong collection diyan kaya more on sa importation. Nagawa namin ‘yon under my leadership, at sa support din ng mga kasamahan natin, ng men and women of the Bureau of Customs in Palawan. Of course, dahil nga po sa magandang image din ng Customs,” Castro said.
The surplus from January to March was 109.22 percent or P25,590,204.
She said the amount represents the combined collection from the province’s seaport and international airport.
“Majority talaga diyan is seaport. ‘Yong airport natin kasi ka-o-open lang ng international airport natin. Although nakaka-contribute naman ‘yong collection natin sa airport, pero ang pinaka-malaking source ng revenue natin ay sa seaport po natin, sa importation,” she added.
She said they have also been surpassing their collection targets in Palawan in the last five years.
In 2015, she said that that they reached 198.073 percent, the highest in a four-year span.
Nationwide, the BOC targets a collection of P677 billion for 2019 of which Palawan has a target of P 116,293,076.9 this year.
Meanwhile, Castro assured the public that she is closely monitoring proper imposition of taxes on excisable articles.
She pointed out that they are now fully-computerized as part of the bureau’s transparency thrust.
“Kami naman what is mandated for us to deliver, ‘yong mandate nga ng Bureau of Customs, is revenue collection and prevention of smuggling. So, ‘yon ‘yong kailangan naming i-exercise,” Castro said.
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