Tax code violators
THE Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) padlocking of 207 commercial establishments in the first five months of 2021 for tax code violations is something Filipinos must commend.
Even the ordinary taxpayers paid a glowing tribute to the BIR, noting that the shutdown resulted in the collection of more than P995 million in taxes under “Oplan Kandado Program.”
The BIR close down the erring commercial establishments pursuant to Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 3-2009, otherwise known as “Oplan Kandado Program.”
In May alone, the agency padlocked 36 erring firms and collected P37.3 million in back taxes from them, BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa told the Department of Finance (DOF).
Guballa reported to Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III that during the same month, the BIR filed 26 complaints for preliminary investigation before the justice department.
The complaints involved an estimated P702.73 million in tax liabilities, according to the BIR report.
In 2019, the BIR collected P1.92 billion under the program as a result of the temporary closure of 743 establishments for various violations of the National Internal Revenue Code.
The 2019 performance was a 218.88 percent improvement over its 233 closures in 2018 and a 140.76 percent increase in collections amounting to P799.47 million during that year.
Last year, the highly-successful “Kandido Program” of the premier revenue generating agency led to the closure of 209 commercial establishments throughout the country.
During the 12-month period, the BIR likewise collected a total of P607.87 million in taxes.
Like the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and other revenue-generating government agencies, the BIR ought to intensify its tax collection campaign owing to the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
