BoC collections up 16% in March

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) said it hit its collection target in March, after a seasonal drop in February that broke its streak of above-target revenue dating back to late 2016.

BoC collected P37.654 billion in duties and other taxes in March, up 16% from a year earlier.

The March total exceeded the P36.572 billion programmed for the month, and represented an improvement from the P30.755 billion posted in February.

The three months to March tally was P104.362 billion, up 15.32% from a year earlier.

Ten out of the 17 collection ports exceeded their targets in March, up from eight in February: Manila International Container Port, Port of Batangas, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Clark, San Fernando, Legazpi, Iloilo, and Zamboanga.

The port of Legazpi was the top performer, collecting P77 million, or 276.1% of its target of P20.5 million. This was followed by the Port of Zamboanga, taking in P32 million, or 128% of its P14 million target.

The BoC is tasked to collect P468 billion this year.

“With the strong implementation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and our intensified operations against smuggling, I am positive that we will be able to achieve, or even exceed our 2017 revenue goal,” said Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon in a statement.

Currently, four of the 27 measures prescribed under the CMTA have been implemented. —