Sen. Bam Aquino asks BIR to defer fines under new paperless tax system

Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV has called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to defer until next year the imposition of penalties on taxpayers who will fail to file tax returns using the Electronic Filing and Payment System (eFPS) or Electronic BIR Forms (eBIRForms). 

 

The senator is asking BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares to give taxpayers ample time to get acquainted with the bureau’s online facilities and suspend the imposition of penalties under Revenue Regulation No. 5-2015 until 2016.

 

Under RR No. 5-2015, all taxpayers who fail to file their returns using the mandated eFPS or eBIRForms should pay a fine of P1,000 per return as prescribed by Section 250 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as amended.

 

“We are concerned with the short timeframe of less than a month given to taxpayers to transition to the new systems, given that the deadline for filing of income tax returns is on 15 April 2015 already,” the senator said in a letter to Henares.

 

The BIR issued the regulation on March 15, 2015 and was published in a national daily two days later.

 

Aquino made the move after receiving several complaints regarding RR No. 5-2015.

 

Under the new revenue regulation, a taxpayer who fails to file a return that deviates from existing regulations also faces civil penalties equivalent to 25 percent of the tax that is due to be paid.

 

BIR Revenue District Offices were also ordered to include the non-compliant taxpayers in their priority audit program.

 

On the other hand, Aquino lauded the BIR for developing and instituting a paperless tax filing and payment process through the eBIR and eFPS facilities.

 

 “We believe that this will improve the Bureau’s tax return monitoring and make it easier for taxpayers to prepare, file and pay their tax returns,” the senator said. – Amita Legaspi/VS, GMA News