Miami-based Architectona has just been appointed to design the new towers slated to go up at the block where Rockwell’s executive offices are currently located. A quick look at Architectona’s website reveals how they lead the world in architecture with their cutting-edge designs.
The American Airlines Arena in Miami, better known as the home of the NBA team Miami Heat, The Bronx Museum of Arts, the headquarters of Banque de Luxembourg, the Westin New York at Times Square, and the Festival Walk in Hongkong are but some of numerous award-winning structures designed by Architectona all over the world.
Everybody in the local property scene is anxious to find how Rockwell’s new towers will enhance the Makati skyline.
As it is, the Bureau of Internal Revenue is already hard-pressed to meet this year’s targets. First half collections were P5 billion short. Tax collection effort is now at its lowest in more than a decade at 9.9 percent of the gross domestic product.
Even the Bureau of Customs missed its collection target for July by a wide margin.
And now, Rep. Joey Salceda, one of the President’s economic advisers, has urged the President to defer the implementation of the expanded value-added tax law should the Supreme Court lift the restraining order. According to Salceda, even if the new VAT law were to be imposed, the government would not get the projected revenue because of its contractionary effect on the economy. And he says his recommendation has got nothing to do with the current political crisis and the impeachment complaints filed against the President.
Improving tax collection efforts appears to be the only solution left to address the budget deficit. But various remedies are available to the BIR and going to court and filing tax evasion cases against big-time tax evaders seems to be the most useless remedy available. How many tax evaders have been convicted in recent years and how much was BIR able to collect from them?
The BIR is also authorized to enter into compromises. BIR deputy commissioner Kim Henares has said that by law the BIR could grant a compromise or abate a taxpayer’s liabilities only under certain circumstances.
She said the following could support a request for compromise with the BIR: that the concerned taxpayer establish "doubtful validity" in the accuracy of the amount of taxes being collected; that the taxpayer is financially incapacitated to pay the taxes; that there is administrative difficulty in collecting the taxes, and the amount of tax assessed by the BIR is excessive.
The bureau should exhaust all remedies granted to it by law to improve tax collection. Aside from entering into compromises, the National Internal Revenue Code also authorizes the BIR to resort to distraint of personal property (which includes garnishment of bank accounts) and levy of real property.
And of course, government has to set the lead in implementing cost-cutting schemes and raising revenues through the most creative means. It can start off by selling unnecessary back-up vehicles, bidding out government assets fast, to name a few.
In fact, one solon has proposed that Malacañang seriously considers reviving the ‘daylight saving time’ program which is done by advancing the official standard time, usually by an hour.
These sector insist that broadcasting companies which are holders of these frequencies should not be included in this circular because the draft MC exclusively grants telecommunication companies the right to operate in the frequencies identified.
It is also claimed that frequencies already granted to broadcasting companies are resources that belong to the patrimony of the nation and cannot and should not be given to companies that are allowed 40 percent foreign ownership.
What the constitution has granted to broadcasting companies, the NTC which is a mere agency cannot take away, they emphasize. It is also asserted by these sectors that the reason these frequencies have not been utilized by the broadcasting companies is that NTC itself has been remiss in its responsibilities, particularly in providing guidance on digitization platform for broadcast video whether American NTSC standard or the European DVB standard. They say broadcasting companies are not stupid enough to launch a service on a platform that has not been established by NTC. Non-utilization is a result of the long years of waiting for NTC to act, they insist.
Another argument being raised against this draft MC is that broadband wireless access is not a service but a technology. So why should the NTC, which professes to be technology-neutral, now allocate for something that is not a service? Broadcasting on digital platform is broadband in itself. A single TV channel transmitted via wireless that is digitized has to be at least 2mgb/s is also broadband.
These sectors have called on the NTC to stop favoring telcos wanting to monopolize broadband wireless as if it is exclusive to them. Broadband is for all, not just for a favored few. NTC cannot regulate technology; it can only regulate a service.
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