Anti-smuggling efforts by the tax and customs bureaus should focus on commodities such as rice, fuel and cigarettes, a Cabinet official said. AdvertisementsIn a statement, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said that he had directed Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay to work together in a bid to revitalize the government’s anti-smuggling campaign. “I think [they]should focus on fuel, rice and other agricultural products, including chicken, onions, garlic. Lapeña, who was appointed chief of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) just last August, has proposed the creation of a joint task force with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) that will focus on curbing smuggling. Last week, the Finance department reported that the BIR and the National Bureau of Investigation had raided a warehouse in Cabanatuan that was found to be storing smuggled cigarettes.

Source: Manila Times October 29, 2017 16:52 UTC