Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the modernization of the Bureau of Customs is crucial to government goals of inclusive growth and the fight against smuggling and entry of illegal drugs and terrorists from the country’s borders.
Dominguez said the agency must transform itself into “a truly modern bureaucratic organization.”
Customs along with the Bureau of Internal Revenue are the two primary revenue tools that the government relies on to support its growth strategy anchored on massive public investments in infrastructure, human capital and social protection for the poor and other vulnerable sectors.
The ambitious spending plan will require immense revenue inflows on top of the official development assistance that the government expects to get from other countries in the medium term, Dominguez said.
“We expect the Bureau to continuously improve its procedures and processes to facilitate trade. This is important in building an investments-led growth that will produce employment opportunities for our people,” Dominguez said.