Angara reiterates call to revise BOC rules on ‘balikbayan boxes’
Senator Sonny Angara on Wednesday urged the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to revise its implementing rules on tax exemption for balikbayan boxes.
“Sa implementing rules nila, ang ginagawa for the entire year is P150,000 tax-free so pwedeng three times or P50,000 per shipment,” Angara, who is the chair of the Senate ways and means committee, told reporters in a press briefing in Manila.
But under a previous agreement, overseas Filipino workers are allowed to send balikbayan boxes tax-free at P150,000 three times a year, or P450,000 for the whole year.
“Inaral namin kung gaano kadalas magpadala ang OFWs, three times a year. Iniipon muna nila ang mga kargamento… (We studied how often OFWs send their boxes, three times a year. They are keeping their shipment first…) So up to P150,000 tax-free per shipment,” he said.
In an oversight committee hearing two weeks ago, Angara said he was told by Customs officials that they will soon revise the implementations of the rules.
“Dapat hindi natin pahirapan ang OFWs (We need not be hard on OFWs). We keep on praising them and yet pinahihirapan sila. Sana i-correct ang implementation ng rules,” he said. /jpv
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