Tax-Free Balikbayan Box Policy Of Duterte Gov’t Starts August 1
Starting August 1, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) under the administration
of President Rodrigo Duterte will implement the tax-free balikbayan box policy.
Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said Tuesday, July 25
that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may send up to three shipments for their
loved ones back home without having to spend extra for taxes and duties.
The news and plans about the tax-free balikbayan box policy
has been around and delayed since last year, but this time, the BOC will begin
enforcing the policy where up to three shipments from “qualified Filipinos
while abroad” will be exempt from duties and taxes, as long as they do not
exceed a total value of Php150,000.
According to Customs Administrative Order (CAO) 05-2016,
“qualified Filipinos” are those who are:
Holders of valid
passports issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and certified by the
Department of Labor and Employment or Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration for overseas employment purposes regardless of profession;
Non-resident Filipinos
who have established permanent residency abroad but retained their Filipino
citizenship; and,
Resident Filipino
citizens who temporarily stay abroad (may include holders of student visa,
investors’ visa, tourist visa, and similar visas which allow them to establish
temporary stay abroad).
Interested migrant workers need to fill up an information
sheet on the customs bureau’s website and submit a few documents to their
chosen package forwarder, including:
Photocopy of the page
of their Philippine passport with personal information, picture and signature,
or photocopy of their foreign passport with personal information, picture and
signature plus proof of copy of dual citizenship; and,
Invoice, receipt or
equivalent document covering the goods in the balikbayan box, if any.
Furthermore, the sender has to itemize each shipment with
corresponding prices to determine if the total amount has reached Php150,000.
Faeldon called the policy a gift to OFWs, and he assures the
public that boxes will not be opened unless there is a discrepancy in the
declared contents.
Only the sender, delivery company and receiver will know the
items of the balikbayan box.
Source: ANC
Tax-Free Balikbayan Box Policy Of Duterte Gov’t Starts August 1
Reviewed by Yen
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July 29, 2017
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