The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will implement an enhanced Value Reference Information System (e-VRIS) to serve as its new database of reference values that will operate in its Electronic-to-Mobile (e2m) System.
The e-VRIS will replace the National Value Verification System (NVVS) established by BOC in 2019, the customs bureau said in a statement. The NVVS is the agency’s internal system that customs assessment officers may access to verify whether the value declared by the importer is the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to the Philippines.
But since its implementation in the second half of last year, there have been many complaints raised by stakeholders about NVVS.
READ: Improved version of NVVS for adoption this year
The e-VRIS, contained in Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 16-2020 signed on July 14, will help “Customs establish a reliable and comprehensive database of information on the value and classification of imports for reference purposes in support of the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Valuation System.”
BOC said the reference values stored in the e-VRIS will serve as a risk management tool to ascertain veracity of any statement, document, or declaration presented for customs valuation purposes.
“These values are not to be considered substitute values but only reference values to assist assessment personnel in the valuation of goods. Further, assessment personnel are mandated to value imported goods pursuant to the provisions of Section 700-707 (Sequential Application of Valuation Method) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA),” BOC added.
Under CMO 16-2020, declarants are mandated to fill up Box No. 33 (Specification Code) of the goods declaration upon lodgment in the e2m system. Declarants will be provided with a coded product description list in the form of a drop-down menu to select the appropriate specification code of the goods to be lodged.
For goods which have no specification code, the declarant should use “others” and manually input the specific description of the goods in Box No. 31 (Packages and Description of Goods).
The observance on the mandatory filling up of Box No. 41 (Supplemental Units) is also included under the CMO.
Customs examiners/appraisers are likewise required to fill up Box No. 43 (Valuation Method) of the goods declaration in the e2m system to reflect the valuation method used in the assessment of the imported goods.
CMO 16-2020 covers the lodgment of goods declaration under consumption entry. The order takes effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. – Roumina Pablo
