MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) emphasized the need for a tax policy to encourage taxpayers to pay instead of evading their taxes.
“We believe that the government’s call for payment of taxes should be supported by a tax policy that will encourage taxpayers to pay rather than evade paying taxes,” PCCI president George Barcelon said at the group’s general membership meeting.
“Once enacted into law, the Ease of Paying Taxes Bill will provide a simple and convenient online system for taxpayers to pay their taxes,” he said.
Barcelon emphasized the administration’s efforts in calling for the payment of taxes, citing a recent tax campaign program conducted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
“This program gave a strong signal of the government’s call and support to provide for the country and its people through various collection and revenue generating projects,”he said.
Last month, President Marcos called on the public to pay the right amount of taxes on time as he ordered revenue officials to work to achieve people’s confidence in the tax system.
“I encourage the public to pay the correct amount of taxes on time to support the country’s economic recovery and expansion so critical in this time,” Marcos said during the tax campaign launch.
“It is my hope that you will continue to cooperate, collaborate and coordinate with the government on how to improve the experience of our tax collection system,” he said.
Barcelon stressed that the economy is slowly getting back on track through the institutionalization of some reforms critical to attracting and encouraging more investors such as The Foreign Investments Act and Public Services Act, among others.
“Needless to state, the accelerated economic development of the country can best be achieved with a more effective collection of taxes that will support government initiatives and operations,” he said.
The PCCI invited BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. to speak at the said general membership meeting on Thursday.
“Through this membership meeting, we hope to establish a fruitful partnership with the BIR that will lead to meaningful gains for both sides,” Barcelon said.
“We look forward to a regular consultation between our organizations for the purpose of discussing tax policies and measures where the private sector can help in the tax information campaign and efforts to encourage tax compliance,”he said, adding that the group will also assist MSMEs and even large companies to understand new regulations and policies on taxation.