Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez filed a case against Promeat Products, with address at Village East Executive Village, Cainta, Rizal, after the company declared a combined dutiable value of only P134.48 million for all of its 92 importations.
According to Alvarez, the correct dutiable value of its shipments was at P277.77 million.
“They declared it as low as $0.27, or about P12, and a high of only $1.32, or about P59, a kilogram to avoid payment of higher taxes and duties,” Alvarez said in a news conference.
“This is how they undervalued more than 2.5 million kilograms of frozen meat which the company [Promeat Products] imported between October 2009 and January this year,” he said.
Charged by the BOC before the Department of Justice were Mark Angelo de Jesus Pecjo, the company’s proprietor; Marvin de Jesus Pecjo, plant manager; and Aaron Carl Oyco Allanigue, operations manager.
Alvarez said investigation conducted by the BOC’s Run After The Smugglers (RATS) Group revealed that the respondents used falsified invoices to fraudulently support the gross undervaluation of their various importations by more than 48 percent.
Promeat’s modus operandi enabled it to secure the release of its boneless meat shipments by paying only P13.44 million in duties when it should have been assessed P27.77 million.
Imported meat used solely for processing was exempt from the payment of the value-added tax.
RATS investigators had established that Promeat was only engaged in the retail of various meat products.
The BOC’s position, however, was that it was not enough to simply require the respondents to pay the correct duties and taxes plus penalties and surcharges.
(VG Cabuag)
