Subic and Clark economic zone locators may soon heave a sigh of relief with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) now drafting a memorandum exempting them from seeking accreditation with the agency.
Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero, BOC deputy commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, said the order repealing the requirement for Subic and Clark locators to seek clearance from BOC’s Accounts Management Office is just awaiting the signature of Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina.
Uvero, speaking at the July 21 forum on Revised Rules for Sea Manifest Submission organized by the Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association and PortCalls, said Clark and Subic locators will automatically be accredited by BOC so long as they possess the importer’s clearance certificate or ICC from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Earlier, BOC exempted Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) locators from accreditation through Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 14-2015. The CMO automatically accredits PEZA locators at the BOC provided they pay a P1,000 activation fee and present their Client Profile Registration System.
READ: PEZA locators get automatic accreditation from BOC
Uvero added that BOC is studying the possibility of exempting all importers from BOC accreditation since BIR requirements are “already very complicated and the process (of accreditation) is very tedious.”
Under the revised accreditation rules implemented by BOC’s mother agency, Department of Finance, in February last year, importers and customs brokers wanting to transact with the customs agency must first seek clearance from BIR before they can apply with the BOC.
Stakeholders have been contesting what they describe as a tedious and time-consuming process of seeking clearance from BIR. The revenue agency admitted it lacked the personnel to fast-track the processing of applications but said it has included in its 2015 priority program the automation of importers and customs brokers’ accreditation. – Roumina Pablo
