bugatti chiron super sport
CONCERNED THAT TWO LUXURY CARS VALUED AT $6 MILLION or P332,388,000 managed to evade detection at the Bureau of Customs-Port of Batangas (BOC-POB), Senator Raffy Tulfo has called for an inquiry into the actions of its head, District Collector Atty. Rhea Gregorio.
During the plenary debates on the proposed P29.3-billion budget for 2024 on Friday, November 17, Tulfo disclosed that two Bugatti Chiron cars, classified as “super luxury vehicles,” each worth $3 million, passed through the BOC-POB and were allegedly falsely declared as Toyota Tacoma.
“I need confirmation from the BOC regarding the entry of the two Bugatti Chiron… if we have records of two Bugatti Chiron passing through the pier and paying the corresponding taxes. These are super luxury vehicles, with each valued at $3 million,” Tulfo demanded.
He mentioned that one of the “super luxury cars” was spotted in Pasay, while the other was reportedly located in Ortigas.
Senator Sonny Angara, who presented the BOC’s P29.3-billion budget for 2024, acknowledged that there was no record from the BOC regarding the entry of the two Bugatti Chiron.
“This means that they slipped through, either through misdeclaration or other means. There is an intelligence failure here, meaning it entered without a record; this is pure smuggling,” Tulfo remarked.
The assertive journalist turned-senator stated that the owner of the vehicles should have paid the government P6 million in taxes.
He highlighted the alleged smuggling method involved in declaring the shipment of the luxury vehicle as a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck to qualify for tax exemption.
“They declared the luxury vehicle they were bringing in as a Toyota Tacoma because it is tax-free when it’s a pickup truck. However, the content is the Bugatti. I don’t think this happened in 2019; it occurred this year. It passed through Batangas and was declared as a Toyota Tacoma,” Tulfo explained.
As of this posting, Atty. Gregorio could not be reached for comment.
(ai/mnm)