Customs surpasses Sept revenue target

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) exceeded its September 2023 target, collecting P79.225 billion in duties and taxes — P2.780 billion more than the P76.445-billion goal.

The year-to-date target of P644.185 billion was also topped with collections having hit P660.716 billion, up by P16.531 billion, the agency reported on Wednesday.

«Effective customs operations, increased trade activity and rigorous revenue collection efforts were put in place, which paved the way for the BoC's consistent remarkable collection performance,» Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said.

The agency recently partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry, Strategic Trade Management Office and Arise Plus Philippines to enhance customs procedures.

It also carried out 730 anti-smuggling operations, resulting in the confiscation of P35.963 billion worth of smuggled goods.

«These successes will provide funding for significant government programs and services that will benefit the Filipino,» Rubio said.

In August, the national government's budget deficit rose to P133.0 billion as revenue collections dropped. The BoC, in particular, saw revenues fall by 4.92 percent to P75 billion. Its year-to-date total of P581.5 billion was positive, up 3.99 percent from a year earlier.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said at that time that the BoC had already reached 67 percent of its 2023 target of P874.2 billion.