Customs generates ₱487 M from post clearance audits

An additional revenue of P487 million was collected by the Bureau of Customs from its post-clearance audits on importers over released shipments, the bureau said Saturday.

Customs’ Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG) announced that it has collected ₱487-million additional revenue as a result of its post-clearance audits on importers “to ensure that proper duties and taxes are collected even after the shipments have already been released.”

According to the bureau, the postclearance audit is being undertaken to determine the correctness of the goods declaration and the liability of the importer for duties, taxes and other charges, including any fine or penalty, to ensure compliance with the regulations of the Customs bureau.

Under Section 1000 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and Customs Administrative Order 01-2019, the bureau through PCAG may conduct audit examination, inspection, verification, and investigation of records pertaining to any goods declaration generally within three years from the date of final payment of duties and taxes or customs clearance.

Importers may, however, avail of the prior disclosure program (PDP) wherein errors and omissions in goods declaration resulting in a deficiency in duties and taxes on past importations are earlier disclosed to lessen the gravity of an offense or mistake made.

In its report, the PCAG-Compliance Assessment Office (CAO), through its five audit divisions, has served 20 audit notification letters (ANLs) signed and issued by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero from January to June 5, 2020.

It was disclosed that the ANLs were issued against Customs Bonded Warehouse operators and their members suspected to have violated the provisions of Customs Administrative Order No. 13-2019 in relation to Customs Memorandum Order No. 26-2011.

Of the ₱487 million revenue, the bureau collected ₱19,755,564.47 from the audit findings on five companies/ importers while additional revenue of ₱160,027,224.51 was also collected from 24 companies that applied for the PDP program covered by existing ANLs, and ₱307,237,733.72 from 12 companies not covered by any existing ANL.

A massive verification and “cleansing” over all registered brokers, importers, and warehouses around the country are currently undertaken by the bureau in a bid to weed out importers who use their accreditation in illegal activities.

The Customs’ Enforcement Security Service, Customs Intelligence Investigation Service and Account Management Office have been jointly “conducting verification, inspection and investigation of registered brokers, importers, and warehouses throughout the nation.”

At present, more than 200 importers were found providing “misrepresented information” to the bureau. Of the 3,175 consignees/importers listed by Customs’ Account Management Office, 1,829 were so far inspected.