By John Rey Saavedra/Philippine News Agency
CEBU CITY — A vehicle importation monitoring office in Cebu on Tuesday said the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is now strictly scrutinizing all shipments of completely-built motor vehicles to ensure verification of proper value and correct valuation for payment of customs duties and taxes.
Rolando Biteng, head of the Motor Vehicle Monitoring and Clearance Office (MVMCO) – Cebu Field Office, said importers of vehicles should be properly guided with the new policy laid down by the new customs leadership.
“Importers should know the new issuance para mapadali ang processing ng releasing ng kanilang kargamento (in order to fast-track the processing in securing the release of their shipment),” Biteng told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.
Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero issued on March 14 a memorandum addressed to all district collectors of customs that “in absence of the original sales contract submitted by the importer substantiating its declared values, the IAS (Imports Assessment Service) is empowered to determine the real customs value using other methods of valuation.”
“Consequently, all District Collectors are directed to strictly implement the values provided by IAS,” the memo read.
Under Guerrero’s memo, the only supporting document an importer can present to assert value of his vehicle imported from abroad is “importer’s declaration” supported by the original “sales contract.”
According to Biteng, if the importer fails to present a declaration and attach its original sales contract, customs will assess the importer based on the value to be provided by IAS.
“Importers should pay the duties and taxes based on IAS valuation. Talagang makolekta ng gobyerno kung ano yung correct duties and taxes sa ini-import na sasakyan (The government can surely collect what are the correct duties and taxes on the imported vehicle),” he said.
IAS is an office attached to the Office of the Commissioner of the BOC central office in Manila. It is run by a director whose job is to determine correct valuation for payment of customs duties and taxes of goods imported to the country.
Guerrero also issued on January 14 a policy directing IAS “to ensure that the value verification of motor vehicles will not in any manner cause delay, obstruct or impede the regular clearance procedure of cargoes.”
The new policy suspended the exclusion of completely built automobiles from coverage of a customs memorandum circular.
The circular issued by former Customs commissioner John Sevilla was supposed to exclude from IAS verification all shipments of buses, trucks, cargo vans, jeepney/jeepney substitutes, single cab chassis, and special-purpose vehicles.
But the January memo said “all shipment of completely built motor vehicles shall be referred to the IAS for value verification and proper/correct valuation.”
Biteng said his office is mandated to monitor whether importers have complete supporting documents to back their declaration of value of their vehicle bought from abroad and its release is based on IAS valuation.
MVMCO is an office under the Enforcement and Security Service of the BOC that monitors vehicle importation activities and issues clearance for release of vehicles purchased from outside the country.
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