THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will continue to go after erring taxpayers, especially businesses, in Negros Occidental amid the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, its official said.
Lawyer Roev Bryl Sobrejuanite, officer-in-charge chief Legal Division of BIR Region 12, said taxpayers cannot use the pandemic as a reason for failure to perform their obligations and comply with the requirements set by the agency.
On Thursday, March 11, personnel of BIR Region 12 and Revenue District Office 78 (RDO-Binalbagan) padlocked a "wholesale store" in Kabankalan City for several tax violations, including underdeclaration of sales for more than 30 percent, non-issuance of receipts and failure to file value-added tax (VAT) returns.
Sobrejuanite said the agency is, in fact, more aggressive in its tax collection campaign especially during this pandemic as the government needs money.
If taxpayers will not pay the right taxes, the government will have no funds to be used in its fight against Covid-19," he said, adding that "this is why we need to declare the correct amount of taxes."
One of the continuing initiatives of the BIR is the "Oplan Kandado" program.
It is an intensive campaign that seeks to close businesses with unpaid tax dues as well as those who are engaged in illegal practices like failure to register, underdeclaration of taxable sales by more than 30 percent, and refusal to issue receipts.
Sobrejuanite said the "Oplan Kandado" is one of the administrative powers of the commissioner of the internal revenue. If your businesses are qualified in those three violations, then they can be closed, he said.
"There's currently an ongoing investigation and surveillance against some establishments in the province reported to have committed several tax violations," the official told SunStar Bacolod.
Sobrejuanite pointed out that the BIR is not selective as to the type of erring businesses it closes.
"We're not only going after small ones," he stressed, adding that the BIR also continues to implement the Run Against Tax Evaders (Rate) program which is criminal in nature.
Through the Rate program, the agency is mandated to investigate criminal violations of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 as amended and assist in the prosecution of criminal cases that will generate the maximum deterrent effect, enhance voluntary compliance, and promote public confidence in the tax system.
Under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law, meanwhile, taxpayers who are engaged in businesses using point-of-sale (POS) machines but failed to submit their monthly report may face permanent closure as penalty.
Sobrejuanite reminded taxpayers using POS as well as cash register machines (CRMs), to have an updated reporting. If not, they may be penalized of P10,000 per day, or one percent of the gross sales, whichever is higher.
If the establishment fails to submit the report for more than 180 months or six months then the closure becomes permanent, Sobrejuanite said, adding that this is the "most painful" provision of the Train law.
So far, the BIR has not closed any establishment in the province due to such violation, he said.