Lina admits Customs erred in collecting tax on Pinay boxer’s championship belt

Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina admitted Thursday that they were wrong in collecting tax on the championship belt brought home by Filipina boxer and mixed martial arts fighter Jujeath Nagaowa.

“Tama kayo, mali kami. Ang problema lang wala sa pangalan niya 'yung belt. Isolated case po ito,” Lina told the Senate committee on ways and means during the hearing the issue on the balikbayan boxes.

Committee chairman Senator Sonny Angara sought assurance from Lina that such incident will not happen again. “Dapat gabayan natin ang mga atleta natin dahil hindi naman 'yan mga abugado,” he said.

Lina assured the committee that they will correct their error.

“Kokorekin namin iyon. I’m sending a representative in Baguio to pick her up.  Gagawin namin 'yun at gagabayan namin,” he said.

Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was present during the hearing, said it was a poor judgment on the part of the Customs officer.

“I would understand if there is container full of trophy pero iisa lang. Kapag nakita mong iisa [ay] maliwanang na hindi pagkakakitaan,” he said.

Nagaowa, 27, won the international light flyweight title of the Women’s IBA in China and the belt was recently shipped to her. She was ordered to pay P5,809 in duties to claim the belt.

The athlete, in her Facebook post, alleged that BOC-NAIA personnel told her that her belt had a dutiable value of P20,147.77, of which the customs’ duty was P3,027.13 while the value added tax was P2,782.

She also reportedly paid $30 for postage. —KBK, GMA News