Customs: Improved collections in January

Customs director Jay Santos yesterday projected that tax collections this January would exceed the $6.41-million collected last December, as delinquent taxpayers beat yesterday’s deadline to avail of the government’s tax amnesty program.

Santos said several delinquent taxpayers made last-minute efforts to avail of the program, as the Attorney General’s Office vowed to prosecute them if they do not settle unpaid taxes within the duration of the 120-day amnesty program.

“We have a lot of people coming in to take advantage of the program,” Santos said yesterday.

He could not give a projected figure yet on his office’s tax collections for January 2005, but he said that it would exceed December 2004’s total collections, which is already 28-percent higher compared with the December 2003 figure.

Customs collections last month increased by over $1.42 million compared with collections in December 2003. Sin taxes—those levied on cigarettes, tobacco, beer and alcoholic beverages—totaled more than $730,300.

The Customs Division collected some $6,417,275.57 in December 2004, the bulk of which comes from garment collections in the amount of over $2.899 million. Taxes and fees collected from seaports last month totaled $1,937,028.21; postal collections, $977,745.23; and airport collections, $603,161.54.

Collections from the various offices increased compared with the December 2003 figures, except for airport collections, which declined by 9 percent. Santos said, however, that taxpayers have the option to pay fees at the seaport instead of the airport. Seaport collections rose by 67 percent, while postal collections skyrocketed by 182 percent.

Garment collections last month show a slight 2 percent increase from December 2003—or by only $66,843.84. Santos said the effect on garment fees has yet to be seen, as lifting of quota restrictions on apparel took effect this month pursuant to World Trade Organization agreement.

Gov. Juan N. Babauta signed House Bill 14-114 into law sometime last year, which provided for a 120-day tax amnesty period wherein delinquent taxpayers could pay taxes with waived interests and charges. In signing the bill that became Public Law 14-28, Babauta stressed that he would not support similar measures in the future.

The law increased the government’s projected revenue for this fiscal year by some $2.1 million, increasing budgetary resources as the Babauta administration presses for a Commonwealth budget higher than the $213 million for the last fiscal year. Earlier this week, Finance Secretary Fermin Atalig expressed optimism that the government would meet the $2.1-million target.Customs: Improved collections in January