Eighteen luxury cars worth more than P107 million were seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) due to undervaluation and incomplete documents.
The shipments arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) from October 13 to October 19 and contained 12 units of Toyota Land Cruiser, three units of Range Rover, two units of Chevrolet Camaro, and one McLaren, all current models.
The total declared value of the shipments was only P32.8 million, P75.1 million less than the total market value of P107.9 million.
Apart from payment of customs duties, imported motor vehicles are also subject to excise tax, as provided for under pertinent BIR revenue regulations.
BOC-MICP officer-in-charge Atty. Ruby Alameda, in a statement, said all shipments were processed by customs broker Roy Lasdoce and consigned to Gamma Gray Marketing with office address at Champ Building, Bonifacio Drive, Anda Circle, Port Area, Manila.
The vehicles, which came from Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, were examined at the container yard of MICP last October 23.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said the luxury cars were seized because of undervaluation and failure of the consignee to provide an Authority to Release Imported Goods (ATRIG).
In a press briefing on November 6, Lapeña disclosed that BOC also received intelligence information on the shipments.
The ATRIG is an authority issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), addressed to the customs commissioner, which allows the release of imported goods from the custody of customs once the correct duties and taxes have been paid or proof of exemption from payment is presented. ATRIG must be issued prior to the release of the shipment from BOC.
“If we did not alert these shipments, these could have been released from customs custody without the required ATRIG and correct valuation. The fact that the importer cannot produce the BIR clearance and declare the correct value of shipments sends a signal that something is questionable with the shipments,” Lapeña said.
Lapeña has also ordered an investigation of the customs broker and consignee’s permit to import luxury cars to determine their liability and possible violation of Revenue Regulation Nos. 2-2016 and 25-2003 and Section 1400 of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016.
According to Lapeña, “This is a blatant disregard of customs rules on importation. I am sure traders know what is required when bringing luxury vehicles into the country. I appeal to all importers not to disregard customs laws or else you will face the consequences of your malpractice.”
Alameda was set to issue a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipment on November 6.
