BIR orders speedy resolution of tax receipt cases

MANILA, Philippines - Cases involving businesses’ failure to issue official receipts have to be resolved with dispatch, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Friday said. The bureau’s Special Investigation Divisions (SIDs) have been ordered by Deputy Commissioner Nelso M. Aspe to act within five days on cases referred by the regional directors. "The SIDs shall proceed with the verification/investigation following the procedures and submission of pertinent documents as provided by existing revenue issuances," a BIR statement quoted Mr. Aspe as saying. The tax bureau, the government’s largest revenue-generating agency, uses data mined from its so-called "Premyo sa Resibo" campaign, which encourages consumers to report dishonest businesses. In a study released in August last year, the National Tax Research Center — an attached agency of the Finance department — said businesses’ non-issuance of official receipts meant an annual P65 billion in foregone revenues. Mr. Aspe credited the campaign for the bureau’s improved collections. The tax agency topped its goal in the first quarter by P6.6 billion, reporting collections of P166.6 billion in the three months to March. Preliminary figures showed the bureau’s revenues at P91 billion in April, exceeding its target of P84 billion for the month. - BusinessWorld