THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) is eyeing to surpass the nearly P1 trillion revenue target this year, a senior official said.
“We’re trying to hopefully reach a maximum of about P20 to P30 billion more for the entire year than the official target,” Customs Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla told reporters on the sidelines of the Launching of ATA Carnet System.
“Hopefully, we reach a little less than P1 trillion. If we can reach a trillion, then so much the better. But definitely, it’s a little bit higher than the target now and higher than the P13 billion surplus,” Maronilla added.
The government is targeting to collect P4.3 trillion this year, with the BoC accounting for P959 billion of the target.
Maronilla said that their own target was to collect at least P30 billion more, making them confident to hit double-digit growth this year.
“If the trend continues and volume increases, then we’ll be able to reach our internal target or at least contribute more,” Maronilla said.
“So far this month, we’re on track. Our problem, I think, would start about next month because of the ghost month,” he added.
The month of August has been pegged as a slow month, Maronilla explained, as some businessmen and some trading partners, especially among the Chinese, superstitiously treat it as a slow month and an inventory month for the year.
“So, historically, we have tackled some issues in the month of August but for the past years, we’ve been able to overcome them,” he said.
As of the first half of 2024, Customs revenue collections jumped by 5.22 percent to P456.04 billion. It also surpassed its P442.62-billion target for the six-month period by 3.03 percent.
Meanwhile, Maronilla said the BoC had already uncovered nearly P20 billion worth of smuggled goods.
“Top commodity is still IPR (intellectual property rights) goods. That’s a commitment that we have to maintain our good standing in intellectual property law enforcement. So, it still remains as the top apprehended imported item that’s violating our laws,” he said.
The Customs official mentioned that they are focusing on items deemed socially “unacceptable” to facilitate their import and proliferation in society.
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