TAXES collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Cebu (BIR 13) hit P33.882 billion in 2019.
Last year’s collection surpassed the P32.879 billion goal of BIR 13 by 3.05 percent, tentative figures obtained by SunStar Cebu showed on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020.
It also rose 21.46 percent from P27.896 billion collected in 2018.
Last year, BIR 13’s four of the five revenue district offices (RDO)—Cebu City North, Cebu City South, Talisay City and Tagbilaran City in Bohol—surpassed their collection goals.
Only one, the RDO in Mandaue City, failed to hit its target for the year by 1.70 percent.
In December alone, BIR 13 raked P2.704 billion in taxes, exceeding its P2.426 billion target for the month by 11.39 percent.
BIR 13 Director Eduardo Pagulayan earlier said the agency was working to sustain its information drive efforts to help boost its collection growth.
The tax bureau has been banking on Cebu’s continued economic expansion as a big revenue generator for the government.
Cebu’s economic rise has been an impetus to BIR 13’s tax collection growth in recent years.
The BIR has been coping in its tax take since the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law, which cuts personal income taxes but imposes new excise taxes on cigarettes, sugary drinks, oil products and vehicles, among others.
Meanwhile, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) is urging the government to suspend the Train law amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States (US).
In a statement, BMP chairman Ka Leody de Guzman said the suspension of the law is needed in order to cushion the imminent impacts of a rise in inflation if the conflict between the US and Iran further escalates.
De Guzman pointed out the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte should protect the consumers and overseas workers by acting quickly and decisively to shield them from inevitable price hikes on basic goods, a likely outcome triggered by a spike in the price of oil in the world market. (CSL with Sun Star Philippines)