Kim Henares on chasing tax evaders and heading the BIR: ‘Walang madaling trabaho’

She has led the country's tax agency for over five years now, yet April 15 still has to become a routine.

In an interview, Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said that every April 15, the last day of filing of income tax returns, presents a new challenge. 

This year, the BIR faced numerous complaints about the electronic filing of taxes. 

"Taun-taon, iba. Hindi nagkakapareho ang mga problema," she said.
 

Henares' schedule every April 15 can never be routine.

As taxpayers lined up to transact with the agency last Wednesday, the tax chief went to various BIR offices to troubleshoot and show her support to employees. 

The BIR has 9,000 employees who handle transactions with the 23 million Filipinos who have tax identification numbers.
 

Later in the afternoon, Henares taped an episode of Bawal ang Pasaway with economist and UP Professor Solita "Winnie" Monsod. 

As the Aquino administration enters its last year in office, Henares tells Monsod that she has yet to know who recommended her to the then-presidential candidate who would later become her boss. 
 

"I got to know him in September 2009 when he decided to run for president," she said. She then became part of the Aquino campaign's policy development team. 

'Habulin ni Kim'

In July 2010, she was tapped to head the BIR and proceeded to strictly implement the country's tax laws, earning her the ire of countless people. "Baka habulin ka ni Kim" became a common phrase. 

While her agency went full blast with the "shaming," it exerted the same amount of effort with the "naming."

The BIR has held press conferences and issued press releases naming the country's top taxpayers. 

Henares said that with the BIR's serious collection efforts, the amount paid by the country's top taxpayers has risen: It would be hard for those paying less than P4 million to enter the list of top 500 large taxpayers. 
 

While her agency has scored some wins, she acknowledges it has its share of losses, too. The agency's Run Against Tax Evaders (RATE) program has yet to score a major win. "There's due process, and I don't want to blame anyone," Henares said.   
 

With just over 14 months left before the Aquino administration leaves, Henares said that working in the public sector is hard work. 
 

"Walang madaling trabaho. Mas malaking responsibilidad ito kasi ikaw ang magpopondo sa proyekto ng gobyerno," she said.

Asked if she's offended by jokes about people hiding their wealth lest she goes after them, Henares smiles and shakes her head. "It doesn't offend me at all."