Searching a massive warehouse for a single piece of paper was the only method done manually by Guam Customs and Quarantine whenever they were collecting and storing data.

Today, that all changed.

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero signed legislation today allowing the agency to adopt and implement an automated processing system alongside the harmonized commodity and coding system.

Vice Speaker Tina Muna Barnes discussed how the current system was partly to blame for the loss of tens of millions in tax revenue.

“In 2018 alone, Guam shipped in air cargo worth 1.6 billion dollars, but only about 136,000 dollars in use taxes were collected. proper taxation of air cargo this year could have generated 65.5 million in used tax revenue,” said Vice-Spkr. Barnes.

Officials said this process is used in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

The Vice Speaker added the new law will bring revenue to the island without raising taxes, and will also arm officers and inspectors with accurate and available data to better combat the importation of drugs and invasive species.

Customs Director Ike Peredo expressed his full support for the upgrade.

“We’re trying to modernize this agency. We’re trying to move away from the so-called paper facilitation and log books that we’ve been using for several years and get into technology because that’s the key to moving forward,” said Peredo.

Peredo estimated hardware for the automated system may be over $1-million, though the cost is yet to be worked out.

Meantime, Customs Chief Vincent Perez assured the cost will not be passed on to the public but will be covered internally through possible grant funding.

Meanwhile, software for the system is secured, with installation expected within an 18-month self-imposed timeline.