Books Imported to the Philippines now Tax-free!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Books Imported to the Philippines now Tax-free!

Hi readers!

Good news! You can get the book you want to read without expending extra money out of your pocket. I know, when ordering online from other countries like in the U.S., U.K., Japan, etc. can cost you the actual price of the book, shipping charges, and a pain-to-accept overcharges from "some" Philippine Custom officer. I just confirmed the news and i am so late to find this out. Imported books are now tax-free! According to Department of Finance (DOF) and in relevance to UNESCO Florence Agreement, which was signed by a Philippine President back August 2, 1952, the guidelines states (quoted below):

"All imported books, whether for commercial or personal use, with the exception of those published by or for a private commercial enterprise essentially for advertising purposes as stated in Annex A of the Florence Agreement, are exempt from customs duties. Importation of books is likewise exempt from value-added tax (VAT) pursuant to Section 109 (R) of the National Internal Revenue Code."

The second time I went to Post Office this month to get my Communist Manifesto book from Amazon.co.uk, the officer there didn't checked the contents of my package unlike before, I just wonder they didn't assess for additional duties to it anymore. I just paid 40.00 pesos for the postage and some signing for clearance and then you'll get the package. Later on, I learned that imported books to Philippines are now tax-free.

Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx | Arcturus Publishing

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (Hardcover | Arcturus Publishing)

If your Custom Officer harasses you, then try slap a copy of the said order to their face :D Please find the PDF file here: http://www.gov.ph/downloads/2011/12dec/20111212-DOF-DO-57-2011-BSA.pdf (the file source is from http://www.cfo.gov.ph/)

Traditionally, I buy book on our local bookstore esp. National Bookstore. Now, I can say, this would be the great time to start the new way to buy books online.

For your reference, you can buy books online through the following:

Barnes&Noble

More opportunity for me to review books online in Literateknolohitura!

Given that I can get books online and the post office in my region is only one-trike ride from our home then book reviews will be abundant in coming months.