Gov’t loses over P50M in uncollected taxes to flour smugglers

THE GOVERNMENT reportedly lost P51 million in uncollected taxes as of May to flour smugglers, the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (PAFMIL) said in a statement late last week.

Eight companies are claimed to have undervalued their imported flour shipments for as low as $24.77 per ton, just 9% of the reference value. Some also misdeclared their shipments as having a lighter weight, PAFMIL said. As such, importers got away with paying lower import duties and value-added tax, the group said without elaborating on how the reported revenue loss was computed.

"PAFMIL has already brought the matter to the attention of the Bureau of Customs although the new Customs Commissioner Angelito A. Alvarez has yet to make any official statement on the lingering problem," the group, whose members are currently facing profiteering charges at the Trade department for refusing to lower flour prices, said.

Customs officials, meanwhile, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Earlier reports showed that five of the bureau’s 16 port collectors nationwide missed their targets in the first half.

These were the collectors for Clark Freeport Zone, the Manila International Container Port as well as for the ports of Limay, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga. -- Jessica Anne D. Hermosa

Source: http://www.bworld.com.ph/main/content.php?id=14384