Revenues collected by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) from cellphone imports in the first four months of the year posted a double-digit jump despite the decline in volume of these shipments, which the agency attributed to improved valuation method.
The Department of Finance (DOF) yesterday said preliminary data presented by the BOC showed the volume of cellphone imports from January 1 to April 30 totaled 660,000 kilograms (kg), lower by 30.4 percent compared to the 950,000 kg imported during the same period last year.
Despite the lower import volumes, the BOC collected P2 billion, P426.76 million or 27.1 percent more compared to the P1.57 billion collected during the same period in 2020.
Rey Leonardo Guerrero, customs commissioner, said cellphones are now taxed per piece and by brand, instead of the previous method of taxing them by volume.
Guerrero also attributed the higher collection to the entry of high-end cellphones and telecommunications equipment.
The DOF said the BOC also collected P24.79 million from mobile phone parts from January to April 2021, which was P10.86 million or 78 percent more than last year’s P13.94 million despite almost the same volume of these goods entering the country in both periods.
Imports of other types of telecommunication equipment and devices hauled in P3.46 billion in revenues for the BOC this year as of April 30, which was P758 million or 28 percent more than the P2.7 billion collected during the same period in 2020. – Angela Celis
