Auditing firm holds taxation seminar

WITH the government's thrust to improve tax collection measures, a private auditing firm conducted a one-day tax seminar for its accountants and clients in Davao City on Thursday.

Wendell Ganhihin, CPA chief for Punongbayan & Araullo's Tax and Payroll Outsourcing Unit in Davao and Cebu branches, told Sun.Star Davao in the holding of tax seminar is one of their advocacies in promoting good corporate governance.

The seminar, which was attended by some 30 accountants and representatives of their clients in Davao City, aims to educate auditors both from their company and its partner on the government's current policies in taxation that will significantly affect individual company.

Entitled "Tax Update Seminar: No New Taxes but New Interpretations," part of the seminar discussed significant events involving taxation that happened in 2012, the future goals of the government in the taxation sector, the government's strategies in achieving its target, the government's efforts made so far in delivering its promise of prosecuting high-profile tax evaders, and the new interpretation to existing tax laws that will significantly affect accounting and auditing practitioners in the country.

Ganhinhin, who discussed the first phase of the seminar, said there should be a balance between the government's effort in implementing new interpretations of the Tax Code and how it carry out the measure in boosting the government's coffer.

The new tax interpretations, based on different rulings of the Supreme Court, will have significant effects in the government.

"We are not against in the interpretations of the Tax Code, if this is the right interpretation of the laws and this is the right way to the 'Matuwid na Daan' (Straight Path) as promised by the president," Ganhihin said.

The one-day event is the first of a series of lectures and seminars for Visayas and Mindanao area. P&A is running a series of seminars in Cebu and Davao.

Other resource speaker from P&A for yesterday's seminar was Grace Janiola, a CPA who talked about tax updates. (Jereco O. Paloma)