SENATOR Win Gatchalian is seeking an inquiry into the smuggling of two Bugatti Chiron sports cars in the hope of addressing revenue leakage due to the illegal entry of luxury cars into the country.
Gatchalian filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 954 which seeks to put to an end the outright smuggling of luxury sports cars into the country by introducing remedial legislation.
According to him, the two luxury sports cars, a blue Bugatti with license plate NIM 5448 and a red Bugatti with license plate NIM 5450, did not go through regular customs clearance since these cars are without import documents as confirmed by the Management Information System and Technology Group of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“There is a need to determine the lapses and loopholes in government processes that lead to the continuous persistence of outright smuggling of luxury items in the country, including cars, that deprives the government of much-needed revenues and poses a serious and great threat to the national economy,” said Gatchalian, who heads the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
According to him, an investigation would enable the government to assess the scale of car smuggling in the country, enhance border control measures, deploy cutting-edge methods and technologies to combat luxury car smuggling and address tax leakages.
After receiving information in November last year, the BOC conducted an investigation into reports that the said luxury vehicles entered the country without going through regular customs clearance. Subsequently, the agency issued a warrant of seizure against the two undocumented Bugatti Chiron vehicles which were seen around Metro Manila and adjacent cities.
The two luxury vehicles, worth P165 million each without custom duties and taxes, are registered under a certain Menguin Zhu and a certain Thru Trang Nguyen. At 50% excise tax, the government should have collected P165 million from the importation of the two vehicles, Gatchalian said.
“Hindi natin dapat pinapalusot ang mga ganitong gawain dahil malaking kabawasan ito sa buwis na dapat nakokolekta ng gobyerno na kailangan natin para maipatupad ang mga proyekto na magpapalakas sa ekonomiya at magpapaunlad sa mga Pilipino,”he ended.
