MANILA: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has postponed the auction of 600,000 vehicle plates held by the agency after the supplier reportedly promised to pay P40 million in duties and taxes.
Belle Maestro, spokesperson for Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, said yesterday that the bureau decided to defer the plan to auction off the car plates after supplier Knieriem BV Goes and Power Plates Development Concept Inc. (JKG-PPI) sent word that it would pay up.
“The consignee JKG-PPI of the 600,000 Land Transportation Office (LTO) license plates has committed to settling with the Bureau of Customs its payment obligations,” Maestro said.
She added, “The bureau is on standby for payment, after which we will release the shipment immediately.”
When asked when JKG-PPI would produce the payment, she said the firm did not give a specific date. “They didn’t specify when and just said very soon. But ideally before the end of the month,” Maestro said.
Last Feb. 29, Lina threatened to start the process of abandonment and auction the 600,000 vehicle license plates if the supplier failed to pay the correct duties and taxes, including the demurrage and storage fees, by last week.
The plates reportedly arrived in 11 shipping containers at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
There has been a backlog in the issuance of license plates, much to the consternation of motorists who had already paid for them during vehicle registration.
This has also been the subject of a Senate inquiry on the alleged incapability of the supplier to deliver the car plates.
