CPA group members urged to hike tax payments by 20%

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s organization of public accountants urged all its members to increase their tax payments by at least 20 percent this year, saying that this would help the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) meet its 2010 collection goal of P830 billion.

Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) president Antonio Tecson said accountants and their clients could help the government, particularly the BIR by increasing their tax payments to the agency.

In urging members, Tecson said an increase of at least 20 percent in income tax payments of corporate and individual taxpayer clients over that of last year would help the BIR collect P830 billion this year, its 2010 revenue goal.

The BIR has partnered with PICPA and other business organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry for better tax administration of tax collection by having representatives from these groups man the BIR’s One-Stop-Shop Payment Centers located in the agency’s different revenue offices.

The One-Stop-Shop provides a specific reception area for taxpayers transacting with the BIR. The shop is aimed at providing fast, efficient and courteous service to taxpayers. They also serve as one-stop-shops to address the needs of taxpayers without the necessity of a follow up or referral to other offices.

Furthermore, the shops are open from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. with lunch break. This will give taxpayers access to information on taxation, including office procedures.

A key feature of the shop is the administration of a taxpayer service satisfaction survey which will give the BIR an idea of the kind of service it renders to the taxpayers. It will be strengthened to ensure taxpayers give their feedback on their experience with the BIR front-liners.

PICPA’s Tecson said increasing the income tax payments on the part of PICPA members and their clients can be done by ensuring that they comply with all the new regulations of the agency and all the tax liabilities are addressed.

The One-Stop-Shop Program will also provide inputs to BIR management on the performance of covered BIR offices that will be considered as part of the key performance indicators to be used in the evaluation of said BIR offices.  

It will also provide feedback to BIR top management on the level of customer satisfaction, issues and concerns of tax payers, and resolution of the said issues and concerns.

BIR Commissioner Joel Tan-Torres, for his part, said that improving taxpayer service is top on the list of the priority concerns of the BIR, saying that enhanced taxpayer service can bring about maximum voluntary compliance and is the most effective means of revenue collection.