Stricter penalties against smuggling sought
REP. LORENZO TAÑADA III recently sought the immediate approval of a bill that imposes stricter penalties against smuggling.
Tañada, author of the proposed “Anti-Smuggling Act of 2005,” said that billions in pesos in prospective revenues are being lost to “outright and technical smuggling.” He said that the government is losing about P8 billion in tax and duties in rice, oil products and shoe smuggling yearly. He further said that “the Fair Trade Alliance estimates that about P150 to P200 billion a year is lost to smuggling of various goods and products.”

Among the features of the proposed bill are: the submission of advanced copies of the inward manifest and their publication; publication of the manifest entry; the use of revision orders as third screen in detecting undervaluation; the accreditation of bonded warehouses; stricter rules on the use of bonded warehouses; and the availability of books of accounts of bonded warehouse.

Tañada also said that an anti-smuggling commission will be created to be armed with powers of subpoena duces tecum and will have members from the law enforcement and various government agencies.