MALACAÑANG made an assurance on Tuesday that there are sufficient measures to curb oil smuggling in the country.
In a press conference in Malacanang on Tuesday, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that among the measures in place include a tax regulation that ensures ecozone locators get the tax exemption.
This in addition to the visits and inspections being done by the Department of Finance (DOF), the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), he said.
Lacierda was referring to the Revenue Regulation 2-2012 that would have made sure that the ecozone locators would get tax exemptions from the government.
Unfortunately, the court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) and it was only last February when an injunction was issued declaring it to be in error, Lacierda explained.
Following the Court of Appeals decision, the Bureau of Customs has begun full implementation of RR 2-2012, he added.
“As I mentioned, apart from this Revenue Regulation 2-2012, we have stepped up on major physical visitation on those ports—ports which are considered as the ports where the oil imports are being done,” Lacierda said.
“We’re making sure that all these ports are visited and that efforts are made to curb smuggling.”
Curbing oil smuggling will improve the country’s tax collection, according to the Palace official.
One of the seven major ports already visited by the DOF, BOC, and the BIR last February include the Port of Limay, Lacierda said.
Beginning this month, the DOF, BOC and the BIR will be visiting the Manila International Container Port, the Port of Manila, Port of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and the Port of Batangas, and other major oil importers.
Ramon Ang, the chair and chief executive officer of the Petron Corp. said at least a third of the total volume of oil products sold in the market came from smuggling based on studies from 2007 to 2011.
Ang said the government is losing P30 to P40 billion annually due to oil products smuggling. (PND)
