NG collects ₧61B in duties, taxes under fuel marking

THE national government has collected over P60 billion in duties and taxes from more than four billion liters of fuel for the first quarter of the year in its campaign to prevent the illicit trade of petroleum products in the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said that from January to March 2024, the national government collected a total of P61.1 billion in duties and taxes through its fuel-marking program.

The BOC said it marked 4.81 billion liters of fuel products for the first quarter of the year.

The government started the fuel marking program on September 4, 2019, under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN law to ensure that oil products sold in the market are tax compliant.

In 2023, the BOC marked a total of 18.97 billion liters of fuel, resulting in the collection of P234.18 billion worth of taxes.

Petroleum products that are refined, manufactured, or imported to the Philippines such as, but not limited to, unleaded premium gasoline, kerosene, and diesel, shall be marked by an official marking agent after payment of taxes and duties, under the TRAIN law.

A unique chemical marker is used in marking fuel that can be embedded at a molecular level in petroleum products—gasoline, diesel, and kerosene—enabling authorities to test, identify, and distinguish petroleum products with paid excise taxes.

In terms of overall revenue collection, the BOC generated a total of P219.385 billion from January to March this year, exceeding its first-quarter target by P8.489 billion.

Additional revenue was also collected through the Prior Disclosure Program, other audit findings, and public auctions, totaling P1.088 billion, P89.071 billion, and P3.890 billion, respectively, the BOC added.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio cited the collective efforts of the Bureau’s employees, saying, “While the weight of our responsibilities may be heavy, our unified efforts have not only met but surpassed expectations. I extend heartfelt appreciation to the entire BOC community for their commitment and hard work.”

The BOC is tasked to collect close to P1 trillion in earnings in 2024, higher by 15 percent to 20 percent than what it collected in the previous year.