THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has created a legal team to coordinate with the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza) on duties on imported luxury vehicles.
The move comes after the Ceza, which supervises the development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, turned over at least 50 seized luxury vehicles to authorities. The latter includes the Santa Ana, Cagayan, local government, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The luxury vehicles have been confiscated for not being able to pay proper taxes prior to its withdrawal from Ceza.
Under Section 4 of Republic Act 7916, or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, the movement of imported goods from the free-trade to a non-free-trade area in the country shall be subject to import duties.
The BOC reminded importers that under the Customs Administrative Order 11-2019, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, all applicable duties, taxes and other charges on goods introduced into the Customs territory from the Free Zones shall be paid to the Bureau before release from custody, subject to the prior requirement of Authority to Release Imported Goods for certain goods.
The creation of a BOC legal team was announced by Deputy Commissioner Edward James Dy Buco. Buco, likewise, said appropriate recommendations will be submitted to the Secretary of Finance.
One recommendation is that the duties and taxes for the donated vehicles be paid by the recipient through a deferred payment scheme pursuant to Customs Administrative Order 10-2008 and Joint Circular 2-91.
Out of the 50 cars the BOC turned over, 18 have been donated to the PNP, seven to the AFP, another seven to the Santa Ana local government and 18 to particular villages in the second-class municipality of Santa Ana.