THE Bureau of Internal Revenue in Cebu (BIR 13) will have to collect more taxes this year.
This, as BIR 13 was tasked to collect P38.62 billion in 2020, up 17.46 percent from the P32.88 billion target in 2019, data obtained by SunStar Cebu showed.
Income taxes account for more than half of the agency’s collection at P23.37 billion goal.
BIR 13 also targets to rake in P10.09 billion in value-added taxes, which are collected from consumers’ buying activities.
The bureau is also set to collect P21.85 million in excise taxes from fuel, tobacco and alcohol products.
Goal for percentages taxes— business levies imposed on entities with annual sales not exceeding P3 million—is P1.21 billion.
It also sets to collect P3.94 billion in other taxes, which could include capital gains taxes.
Of the five revenue district offices (RDO) of BIR 13, the RDO in Mandaue City has the highest goal for 2020 at P13.78 billion followed by RDO Cebu North (P13.59 billion), RDO Cebu South (P4.82 billion), RDO Talisay City (3.39 billion) and RDO Tagbilaran City in Bohol (P3.04 billion).
Earlier, BIR 13 Director Eduardo Pagulayan said that a continued information drive was crucial to sustain the agency’s tax collection growth.
Sustaining tax enforcement is also one of the priorities to ensure taxpayers pay the right taxes, he said.
In 2019, BIR 13 collected P33.88 billion, surpassing its P32.879 billion goal.
The amount rose by 21.46 percent from the P27.896 billion collected in 2018.
BIR 13 has been banking on Cebu’s continued economic expansion as a big revenue generator for the government.
BIR has been coping in its tax take since the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, which cuts personal income taxes but imposes new excise taxes on cigarettes, sugary drinks, oil products and vehicles, among others.
BIR 13 missed to hit its collection goal in 2018, the year when the government implemented the first package of its comprehensive tax reform program.