The Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) has to meet higher performance targets this year amid a 2017 budget that is 45% bigger at P3.82 billion from the previous year’s P2.63 billion.
Many of the customs agency’s major final outputs and performance indicators for this year have increased significantly from 2016 levels.
However, some targets remain unchanged, including clearing all imported goods within 10 days of the filing of import declaration and having a high percentage of customers whose goods are cleared rating its service as “good or better.”
Also, targets concerning cutting down the required number of documents for import cargo clearance remain at six documents, and those for clearing export shipments are still at five documents.
For other targets in 2017, BOC has to meet revised or higher expectations. It must collect P467.896 billion in duties and taxes, 2.5% more than last year’s P456.46 billion. It should also achieve a 10% increase in actual cash collection, and a 40% hike in proceeds from the sale of forfeited and abandoned goods.
For exports and warehousing, the agency is looking at 310,000 metric tons (MT) of imported goods entered for warehousing and going to special economic zones, and receiving no reports of irregularities for stored goods. The figure is 48% higher than last year’s target of 210,000 MT.
The customs agency is also tasked to have 90% of total customers rate its warehousing services and 95% of them to rate timeliness of access to these facilities as good or better. Both percentages are 6% higher than last year’s goals.
In the area of enforcement, BOC seeks to undertake 450 enforcement actions within the year, up 87.5% from last year’s target of 240 alert orders. Of the 2017 target, 85% should result in favorable judgement, while 15% of shipments selected and physically examined or x-rayed should lead to seizures.
The customs agency also aims to have actions completed within 30 days of issuance of alert orders.
Meanwhile, in addition to its approved 2017 budget, special provisions were granted for several programs.
The amount of P50 million has been allocated for maintaining and improving the operations of the Super Green Lane facility, including the Automated Customs Operations System and related computer systems. The fund will be sourced from service fees collected from importers using the facility. This is higher than last year’s P36-million budget.
Another P297.428 million will go to the maintenance, improvement, and upgrade of the Non-Intrusive Container Inspection System, the funds to be obtained from the mandatory container security fee imposed on every 40- and 20-foot container under the system. This budget is smaller than 2016’s P308.504 million.
About P6.532 billion coming from the current year’s revenue collections will be used to refund the input value-added tax (VAT) on importations attributable to zero-rated transactions. It will also be used to monetize the VAT component of outstanding duty drawback Tax Credit Certificates.
Moreover, a reward of 20% of proceeds from the sale of smuggled and confiscated goods or collection of additional revenues may be given as informer’s reward to persons instrumental for these accomplishments in accordance with relevant provisions under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
