MANILA - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) failed to meet its collection goal for the first 8 months of the year, according to its chief, no thanks to anemic import volume during the period.

In an interview with reporters, BOC Commissioner Napoleon Morales said the agency's tax take amounted to P147.2 billion from January to August this year, P28.23 billion lower than its target of P175.43 billion and P20.26 billion lower than the P167.46 billion it collected in the same months last year.

Morales blamed the BOC's poor performance on the sharp drop in merchandise imports due to the economic slump and the decline in the usage of the tax expenditure fund by government agencies.

Last month, the BOC incurred a shortfall of P6.77 billion after collecting only P18.25 billion against its target of P25.02 billion.

The BOC is tasked to collect a total of P273.3 billion this year or 5.03% higher than last year's P260.2 billion.

The customs chief said that it would be difficult for the agency to deliver on its full-year goal due to slackening imports and lower oil and steel prices, among others.

Government data showed that imports dropped by 31.1% to $20.365 billion in the first half of the year from $29.56 billion in the same period last year. However, economists said the monthly decline in imports has already narrowed and this trend would likely continue throughout the year.

Poor collections by government revenue agencies, coupled with accelerated spending to stir the economy, were the culprits behind the country's widening budget deficit, which is expected to hit a record P250 billion or 3.2% of gross domestic product this year.