Thursday, January 31, 2008 New requirement stalls registration of vehicles
HUNDREDS of vehicle owners failed to have the registration of their units renewed yesterday because of a new requirement imposed by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
LTO now requires clearance from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for imported units.
Today is the last day for owners of vehicles with plate numbers ending in “1” to renew registration.
LTO 7 Director Raul Aguilus said registration now requires customs clearance, pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Berroya of LTO and BOC Commissioner Napoleon Morales.
Tax deficiency
Aguilus said the clearance will enable BOC to check whether the vehicle has a tax deficiency.
Vehicles were registered with Certificate of Payment (CP) of duties and taxes for engine and chassis only are included in the customs clearance requirement.
If customs authorities in Manila will find that a vehicle is tax deficient, the owner will have to pay the deficiency to secure the clearance.
Aguilus also said that first-time registration of imported vehicles will now require a Certificate of Stocks Reported (CSR) by the car dealer.
The CSR is important because it is proof that the brand new unit to be registered is included in their stocks report.
For “unitized” or assembled vehicles with a CP only for engine and chassis, a customs clearance is still needed because it is possible that other parts of the vehicles are also taxable.
Amnesty
Aquilus said the system is an amnesty for those who voluntarily pay the tax deficiency. He said it will only apply to “buyers in good faith” and not to persons who mis-declare vehicles to evade payment of taxes.
To get customs clearance, the vehicle owner must go to the “one-stop-shop” at the LTO and BOC offices in Manila.
Regulations require that vehicles with plate numbers ending in number 1 must register within January or they will be penalized with 50 percent of the total fees due to LTO.
Postal money order
Aguilos suggested that owners of tax deficient vehicles pay the tax deficiency through postal money order.
Meanwhile, the registration problem was aggravated when various LTO 7 registrar’s offices ran out of forms for Certification of Registration (CR).
Aurelia Angcay, LTO registrar in Lapu-Lapu City, said her office failed to renew the registration of several vehicles yesterday due to lack of CR accountable and official forms.
Angcay said that for this January alone, some 2,000 vehicles due for renewal were not issued CR.
Acting LTO 7 supply officer Lecina Abear said 500 pads of 25 CRs per pad arrived late yesterday afternoon. This will be immediately distributed to the LTO registration offices in Cebu, Bohol, Oriental Negros and Siquijor. (EOB)
