|
The Bureau of Customs has asked that its non-cash
benefit be released by the Department of Budget and Management to
support its expenditure plan next year.
BoC Commissioner Napoleon Morales
said the bureau would need the non-cash benefit of P134 million to
meet its target collection of P300 billion next year. The BoC aims
for P254-billion collection this year.
The non-cash benefit is a form of
reward to government agencies under the Lateral Attrition law.
“We need the non-cash benefit
to meet the target collection of P300 billion next year,” Morales
said.
The DOF, however, has requested
for BOC‘s expenditure plan for next year in order to release its
non-cash benefit in 2006.
The unit reward will be
distributed to all ports that failed to reach their assigned
collection targets.
DOF earlier reported that BoC’s
emerging collection could reach P269 billion, or P15 billion higher
than its P254-billion target for the year, amid skyrocketing
commodity prices and higher import assumptions by the country’s
economic managers. The latest estimate is equivalent to 3.5 percent
of the economy.
In January to August, the
government recorded a budget deficit of P31.7 billion, higher than
last year’s P25.5-billion fiscal gap due to higher spending for
critical infrastructure and social services.
In August alone, the government
budget surplus declined to P1.7 billion from P13.9 billion in the
same period last year.
--Maricel E. Burgonio
|
