Customs falls short of Sept. collection goal

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) missed its collection goal for September, Customs Commissioner Ruzzano Ruffino Biazon said Thursday. In a press conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Biazon said the bureau collected only P20.2 billion, or 23-percent lower than the P30.165-billion target last month. However, Biazon said that compared to the revenues generated in September last year when the bureau collected only P16 billion, the latest collection figure is up by P4 billion. Biazon, who took over the bureau on Sept. 19, attributed the lower-than-target collection to jittery investors. “When we assumed office, there were jitters as the leadership changed," Biazon said. He said the bureau will likely generate higher revenues in the coming months as the uncertainties have subsided. Biazon welcomed the decision of the interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to slash the agency’s collection goal this year to P278 billion from P320 billion. Former Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez appealed for the target to be lowered to P295 billion but this was not granted. The DBCC also reduced the BOC’s 2012 target to P312 billion from P365 billion. The interagency DBCC sets the country's macroeconomic assumptions and targets including the revenue goals of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. — VS, GMA News