Three words come to mind about the new policy of the Bureau of Customs as depicted in the picture appearing in “Crushing Lamborghinis, Ferraris: Not yet, says BOC” (News, 2/7/18): Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Bulldozed beyond recognition were “used high-end” vehicles conservatively valued P61 million. It was meant to send a clear message to smugglers that crime does not pay.
“The destruction of the vehicles was a departure from the usual process of putting smuggled vehicles up for auction to generate additional revenue for the government,” the report said.
At a time when the government is cash-strapped and scraping the bottom of the barrel for funds, such policy change is unmitigated insanity.
So what if the smugglers or their stooges would end up buying those auctioned vehicles themselves? The cost could be dictated by the government to cover their actual value and the correct taxes due. Think only of “Yolanda” or Marawi City, for example.
Otherwise, if no bids are made at the auction, those vehicles could be distributed to government offices for the use of high officials who are obsessed with fancy cars (like Land Cruisers, Pajeros, BMWs, etc.), instead of appropriating millions of taxpayers’ hard-earned money to meet their inofficious demands for perks and privileges.
REY CHAVEZ ESCOBAR, rc_esco@yahoo.com