13 sugar cooperatives ask BIR to drop tax order

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines - Thirteen beleaguered sugar cooperatives in Negros Occidental have formally requested the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to “withdraw certain invalid provisions of the Revenue Regulations 13 (RR-13). They also asked for the immediate withdrawal of the payment of the advance value added tax (VAT) on refined sugar. In a letter addressed to BIR Commissioner Lilian Hefti, the cooperatives asked BIR to suspend RR-13 that took effect Thursday. The cooperatives include the Negros Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Aminhan Sugar Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Dos Hermanas Multi-Purpose Inc., ISEPI Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Ma-ao Parish Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc., Negros del Norte Planters’ Association Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Negros Agricultural Entrepreneurs Multi-Purpose Cooperative, San Carlos Planters’ Cooperative, SAGESPLAS Multi-Purpose Cooperative, United South VMC Multi-Purpose Cooperative, USETPAI Multi-Purpose Cooperative and VMC Farmers’ Cooperative Incorporated. The cooperatives are represented by Carlos Baniquid, Terrence Conrad Bello and Suzette Celicious-Sy. The coops are also asking that the BIR “directs OIC Regional Director Rodita Galanto of Revenue Region 12 to cease and desist from demanding and unlawfully collecting from the sugar cooperatives the payment of advance VAT as a condition for the issuance of an Authorization Allowing the Release of Refined Sugar (AARRS)." They also asked for an immediate suspension of the audit and examination of the sugar coops’ books of accounts and accounting records prior to obtaining an authorization from the Cooperative Development Authority. The position paper noted that “in numerous letters to the BIR since November 2007, the sugar cooperatives have sought relief from the arbitrary and unwarranted actions of Galanto." But the various requests have been largely unheeded and un-acted upon, the coops in the paper said. – Sun.Star Bacolod