BIR trims number of requirements for brokers and importers’ clearances

The Bureau of Internal Revenue. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–To fast-track the issuance of the clearances of accredited customs brokers and importers, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has trimmed down the number of documents to be submitted by applicants.

Under Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 1-2015 dated Dec. 19 and signed by Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares, the BIR said it would no longer require those applying for either a broker’s clearance certificate (BCC) or an importer’s clearance certificate (ICC) the submission of the following documents: a certified true copy of the certificate of registration earlier issued by the BIR; and a certified true copy of the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC registration as well as its articles of incorporation.

Save for the said two documents that are not required anymore when securing BCCs and ICCs, all the six other necessary certifications to be secured from various BIR units, as specified under RMO 10-2014 issued in February 2014, must be attached to the application form, the BIR has reminded applicants.

“Only applications with certifications issued by concerned BIR offices showing that the applicants are fully compliant with all the prescribed criteria shall be accepted by the ARMD (Accounts Receivable Monitoring Division of the bureau). Accordingly, applicants who are found by the concerned offices as non-compliant with the prescribed criteria shall first be required to comply thereon before the required certification is issued,” RMO 1-2015 read.

For those issued with provisional BCCs and ICCs, the BIR said brokers and importers must submit up to six certifications from various BIR units at least one month before the expiration of the six-month accreditation.

“The six-month validity period of the provisional ICC/BCC shall no longer be extended once the [required] documents are not submitted… [F]or those who will be able to submit the documents, ARMD shall immediately verify the authenticity of the said documents. If the same are found in order, a regular ICC/BCC shall thereafter be issued and the validity thereof shall be extended to three years, counted from the date of issuance of the provisional ICC/BCC,” the BIR said.

Last November, the Department of Finance (DOF) via Department Order No. 107-2014 also ordered the exemption of Philippine Economic Zone Authority or Peza locators from securing the ICC, which was a requirement for them to bring in shipments of raw materials and other equipment from abroad.

The DOF earlier required all importers to secure an ICC from the BIR, as the certificate is a means for the department to map the taxes and duties being paid by importing firms.

However, a number of business groups and companies complained that the release of ICCs had been slow, hence delaying their import activities.

Since then, the DOF, which oversees revenue collection through the BIR and the Bureau of Customs, has been moving to make the application for ICCs easier as well as its issuance faster.

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