THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution appealing to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to suspend or repeal Revenue Memorandum Circular 60-2020 that requires registration of online sellers and social media entrepreneurs.

The resolution, authored by Councilor Simplicia Distrito, was approved during the regular session of the City Council on Wednesday, June 24.

Distrito said that recently, the BOR issued Revenue Memorandum Circular 60-2020 that requires registration of online sellers and social media entrepreneurs and for them to pay the necessary taxes.

She said the move sparked confusion and complaints from the constituents, particularly those who are engaged in online selling business.

"The august body respectfully appeals to the Bureau to suspend the implementation of the registration of online selling since we are still under pandemic and most of them are severely affected financially," she added.

Distrito pointed out that the timing of requiring them to register their online business is improper and is not helpful to the constituents who are doing everything to survive this crisis.

"Our online sellers who had just suffered due to the pandemic, had most of them not received any assistance from the government, and finding means to survive, were their lifelines during these trying times," Distrito said.

She said to enforce the said circular means to impose regulation and somehow penalize them for being resourceful, when in fact their activities are only to help them sustain a living during the lockdown.

Distrito noted that the circular has the impression that instead of helping the entrepreneurs, they are being penalized by the government.

"If the objective is to raise funds to help the government find sources of revenue to provide money in the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response, many senators like Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, and several others suggest that there are billions of uncollected taxes from the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) that can be a good source of revenue," he said.

The resolution was also co-authored by Councilors Dindo Ramos, Al Victor Espino, and Bartolome Orola.