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The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has temporarily
banned the importation of luxury vehicles at the Freeport Zone,
following the confiscation of brand-new luxury cars in Subic, the
SBMA top official said.
SBMA Administrator Armand C.
Arreza told reporters he has advised the Bureau of Customs on Monday
to suspend the admission of luxury vehicles covering late 2005
models onward and those units with a minimum engine displacement of
2.8 liters.
This developed after Hide-mitsu
Trading Corp., a Subic-based locator owned by Koreans, reported to
the SBMA last February that 16 of the 24 high-end vehicles that were
confiscated had been taken out of the free-port area despite the
absence of proper clearance and gate pass.
Arreza said most of these
vehicles were shipped into the Freeport Zone in October last year,
while the other nine vehicles were found inside a warehouse in
Angeles City, Pampanga.
Besides the Korean importer,
whose operation has been suspended by the Customs in Subic, 23 other
companies are now under audit involving 369 luxury vehicles, which
all entered the zone late last year.
Arreza said the government will
repossess the 369 luxury vehicles if they are found to be
undervalued.
Documents showed that taxes and
duties were paid in early November last year for 14 of the
confiscated vehicles. However, the assessment revealed that only P2
million were paid for the units, or less than seven percent of the
expected revenues of P35 million in duties and taxes.
Arreza said high-end vehicles of
those types should be charged 100 percent to 150 percent in duties
and taxes.
He admitted the possibility of
technical smuggling taking place inside the Freeport zone,
especially for model vehicles that include Cadillac Escalade Sports,
Mercedes Benz, 2006 BMW, 2006 Audi A8L, 2006 Chevrolet Corvette,
2006 Nissan Infinity and Nissan Armada (sports utility vehicle) and
2006 Honda Acura, 2006 BMW 750 Li.
Arreza revealed that a unit of an
Audi model was allowed by the BOC to declare a total value of only
$1,000, among other vehicles whose declared value were no more than
$1,200 a unit.
Last month the Anti-smuggling
Task Force led by the group of Gen. Jose Calimlim of BOC in Subic
found the 14 top-of-the-line vehicles on display in an auto showroom
in Timog, Quezon City. These vehicles were returned to SBMA.
“Consider this a black eye to
SBMA. They say that Freeport is nothing but a front used by
smugglers,” Arreza said.
In 2006 SBMA’s vehicle imports
of used and brand-new units totaled 18,000, but only 20 percent were
declared secondhand. Most of these were buses, trucks vans and
equipment.
To address the rampant smuggling,
Arreza said SBMA and BOC have agreed to implement a new scheme that
would easily detect questionable vehicles going out of Subic.
“We have requested BOC that all
assessment should be required issued gate pass, including value
reference information system clearance.”
Apart from these, SBMA would also
tighten its security, issue smart passes and special stickers to
residents, set up two x-ray machines, and set up holding and
impounding areas.
Meanwhile, a Customs source said
a 30-percent rate duty of the high-end vehicle should be paid before
each unit is issued clearance.
Furthermore, another 12 percent
VAT and additional excise tax should be paid to the Bureau of
Internal Revenue, the source said.
-- Katrina April Mennen A. Valdez
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