Taxpayers troop to BIR to beat filing deadline

CEBU, Philippines -  With the Bureau of Internal Revenue's 2014 massive campaign on paying the correct taxes, it expected an increase of taxpayers filing their income tax returns as the April 15 deadline closed yesterday.

The agency's campaign "I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES, I Pay My Taxes Right. It's as Easy as RFP (Register, File and Pay)" has encouraged more people to comply with their tax obligations to the government, said Hermeno A. Palamine, regional director of BIR Revenue Region No. 13 Cebu City.

Palamine said the number of taxpayers complying with the filing deadline for income tax returns is  increasing every year.

However, the bureau is expecting that not all would be able to file on the deadline, he added.

"Di gyod ta maka-ingon nga maka-file tanan," he told The FREEMAN." Physically,  impossible man nang tanan maka-file gyod. Pero panan-aw nako substantial ang result, daghan ang naka-file karon kay conscious ug patriotic na sa ilang duty ang mga tawo."

The Revenue Region No. 13 covers the islands of Cebu and Bohol. It has 5 revenue district offices: RDO # 80 for Mandaue City, Northern Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City and the islands of Camotes and Bantayan; RDO # 81 for Northern Cebu City; RDO # 82 for Southern Cebu City; RDO # 83 for Talisay City; and RDO # 84 for Tagbilaran City and the rest of Bohol.

The director also said the queuing system as to how to file the ITRs made the process in order and peaceful: "Medyo hapsay tungod kay duna tay nakabutang nga mga instruction para sa tax payers."

Individual taxpayers, accountants and corporation representatives lined up yesterday at the BIR regional office to beat the April 15 deadline.

Penalties for late payers

BIR's Palamine also warned those who failed to meet yesterday's strict 5 p.m. cut-off will have to be fined with 25% surcharge or extra charge on the basic tax and 20% interest per year.

He noted the regional bureau is targeting a revenue collection of P21 billion: "That is our assigned goal."

The BIR official also shared the revenue for the taxable year 2012 exceeded the expected 14 billion returns.

He also cleared the issue that the BIR is not only being insistent to doctors but also to other professionals such as lawyers, accountants, engineers among others to pay their taxes correctly.

'Use our money rightly'

Taxpayer Rogelio Serrador, 68, who just filed his ITR yesterday, said he is hoping the government will use the people's money to implement projects.

Serrador, who claimed to be a loyal taxpayer, is just one of many Filipinos who are hoping that they will soon benefit from the money they are paying to the government.  (FREEMAN)