Don't have a PC to access the BIR website? ‘Pumunta ka sa Internet cafe,’ says Kim Henares

By TJ DIMACALI, GMA News

Published April 13, 2015 10:33pm

As the April 15 deadline for income tax filings draws near, the BIR's Electronic BIR Forms (eBIRForms) system—meant to facilitate the bureau's transition to a paperless tax system—has been met with heavy criticism.

The agency acceded to pressure by issuing Memorandum Circular No. 18-2015, which deferred the filing of "No Payment" income tax returns to on or before June 15.

However, among other stringent requirements, the eBIRForms program can only be run on a computer running Windows Vista, Windows 7, or higher. Other operating systems, particularly the older Windows XP or rival Mac OS are unsupported.

In a live interview on Unang Balita, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares brushed off compatibility complaints, saying that the majority of computers run Windows anyway.

"Pumunta na lang siguro sila sa Internet cafe. Kasi ang karamihan (ng tao) ay may Windows," she said.