The Bureau of Customs (BOC) surpassed its collection target for January, driven by improved import valuation, enhanced border protection, and tangible trade facilitation initiatives.
The BOC, the government's second-largest tax agency, announced that it collected P73.33 billion in the first month of the year, surpassing the P71.78 billion collection goal by 2.1 percent.
Year-on-year, the bureau's revenue increased by four percent from P2.74 billion.
“This notable increase is attributed to the Bureau’s improved system of determining the customs value of imported goods, strengthened border protection, and concrete trade facilitation efforts,” the agency said in a statement.
Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, meanwhile, said that the BOC will ramp up its efforts in 2024 following its collection performance that exceeded expectations last year.
“We are committed to working twice as hard to ensure that we not only meet but exceed our year-end revenue target,” Rubio said.
“The success in revenue collection during the first month of 2024 sets a positive precedent for the year ahead,” he added.
The BOC has been tasked with collecting P959 billion this year, an eight percent increase from P883 billion in 2023.
Rubio said this year's target would be attained by closely monitoring and consistently improving modernization projects.
These initiatives include the Enhanced Value Reference Information System (e-VRIS), which is a critical risk assessment tool for safeguarding government revenues and facilitating trade.
It is also developing an ICT-enabled clearance system for express shipments and is drafting Customs Administrative Orders (CAO) and Customs Memorandum Orders (CMO) for e-commerce to prevent revenue leakages.
The BOC also emphasized the utilization of its Customs Customer Care Portal in reducing face-to-face transactions and promoting transparency.