BOC vows to make life easier for honest brokers

COMMISSIONER Alberto D. Lina said the Bureau of Customs (BOC) was working on a mechanism that would facilitate less procedures as well as fast-tracked processes for customs brokers that would waive bank secrecy and give the government access to their records.

Lina told reporters last week that the BOC was already drafting an order that would allow brokers’ exemption from securing broker’s clearance certificate (BCC) from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) once they commit to open their bank records for examination.

This was the BOC’s response to the commitment of customs brokers, who last week told the agency that they wanted to promote honesty in their transactions with the government.

“I told them [customs brokers], if you’re honest, we’ll be doubly honest for you. And they said, ‘we have nothing to hide,’” Lina said during the brokers national convention last week.

Exempting “honest” brokers from securing the BCC would help not only the private sector but also the government agencies dealing with them, the Customs chief said.

“Even the BIR will have fewer things to do. I’ll tell Commissioner [Kim] Henares that if customs brokers execute the waiver for bank secrecy, they should be exempted from getting BCCs. We have to remove the tedious process,” Lina said.

The Customs chief said the BOC order is currently being finalized as brokers have to renew their BCCs this month.

Last year, the Department of Finance required all importers and brokers to secure clearance certificates from the BIR.

These certificates are a means for the DOF to map the taxes and duties being paid by importing firms.