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THE
Bureau of Customs is inspecting the registration papers
of various vessels in the country after their owners
were suspected of having evaded payment of duties and
taxes.
Customs
Commissioner Napoleon L. Morales said that he has
already signed about 20 discrepancy letters to vessels
operators, suspected of tax evasion.
“After
that we will issue a demand letter,” Morales said,
declining to reveal the names of the said companies.
The move
came more than two months after the Customs officials
and Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) signed an
agreement to compel vessel owners to show that they have
paid the necessary taxes before their ships can be
registered.
Prior to
the agreement, Marina, the shipping industry regulator,
only requires operators to show a certificate indicating
that they paid the correct import duties.
For its
part, the bureau is expected to generate P 1 billion
from the agreement since information would be shared
between two agencies to determine which among owners and
operators failed to pay the correct taxes.
Morales
said a shipping line already paid P8 million to settle a
case of undervaluation.
Marina
administrator Vicente T. Suazo Jr. earlier said that the
customs bureau should give a one-month ultimatum to
shipping lines to pay taxes before applying necessary
penalties.
Before
acquiring vessels, companies interested in bringing in
ships to the country are required to secure import
permits from Marina, which include basic requirements
such as a provisional certificate from the Philippine
Embassy in the country from which the vessel originally
came.
Marina
will also ask importers to present their ship plans,
before giving its approval.
Previously, according to Suazo, imported vessels—usually
Japanese-made barges—are rehabilitated locally and then
passed off as having been manufactured by a domestic
shipyard. Upon registration, vessel owners declare that
the ships are locally-made, allowing them to evade
taxes.
“Now
they can not any more do that,” Suazo said. “It must be
preapproved. When it arrives here we will inspect if it
followed the plan including the specifications.” |
