BOC: Duties and taxes on several Discaya cars not paid correctly

Duties and taxes on several of the 28 luxury cars connected to the Discaya family were not paid correctly, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said in its initial assessment on Saturday.

“Sa initial report, meron na pong hindi tama ang pagbabayad… kaya lang pinapa-validate ko lang po,” Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Saturday.

(In the initial report, duties and taxes were not paid properly. I still have it validated, though.) 

“This is much I can say, may initial reports na may mga dokumentong wala na dapat ay nandoon… registered siya dapat doon sa ganoong proseso subalit wala,'' he added.

(This is much I can say; there are initial reports that there are documents that should not be there but are still there. It should be registered in that process, but there was none.)

On Thursday, the BOC said the Discaya family surrendered 16 cars, in addition to the 12 vehicles earlier secured during the implementation of a search warrant at the St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor & Development Corp. compound in Pasig City.

The searches and seizures came after contractor and company owner Sarah Discaya admitted to owning a Rolls Royce and dozens of other luxury cars during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing earlier this week. 

The vehicles are currently being processed and inspected for importation records and assessment of duties and taxes. 

“‘Yung mga dokumento, pagtutugmain natin ang mga dokumento ng BOC, registration sa LTO (Land Transportation Office)… Hindi kami titigil sa dokumento lang, kailangan 'yung mismong dokumento tumugma sa makikita namin sa sasakyan mismo,” Nepomuceno said.

(The documents—we will match the BOC documents, registration with the LTO (Land Transportation Office)... We will not stop at just the documents; the actual documents must match what we see on the vehicle itself.)

Anyone who allowed the entry into the country of vehicles without proper documentation and paying the appropriate duties and taxes will be held accountable, he added. 

The BOC may release an initial report on the Discaya vehicles as early as Tuesday, September 9. — VBL, GMA Integrated News