Latin America

PH top restaurant taxpayers guide trumps Michelin stars

Agence France-Presse

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The Philippines ranks restaurants by taxes they pay rather than their menu to shame those cheating the state out of revenues

TOP TAXPAYERS. The government lists the top 20 taxpaying restaurants in Metro Manila cities. File photo by AFP

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has put out a unique ratings guide for restaurants — ranking them by taxes they pay rather than their menu to shame those cheating the state out of revenues.

The gradings system, a unique twist on the world-famous Michelin guide, is part of a government drive to bolster its coffers and make it less reliant on debt to finance its operations.

“The goal of this campaign is to increase transparency on tax payments and to encourage the people to be conscientious in paying the right taxes,” the presidential palace said in a statement on Wednesday, October 9.

It said the ratings guide would be updated every week and published in major newspapers and on the government finance department’s website.

The lists featured top taxpayers in Mandaluyong, San JuanPasig, Parañaque and Las Piñas, Quezon City and Makati.

The Wednesday, October 9 edition showed that local franchises of international fast food chains, as well as a leading Filipino fried chicken chain, Max’s Restaurant, had paid the highest taxes among the country’s restaurants.

President Benigno Aquino, who won the 2010 election on an anti-corruption platform, has vowed to put the finances of the perennially cash-strapped government in order.

The government has launched a highly publicized campaign against tax cheats, including celebrities and professionals.

Congress under Aquino’s watch also passed laws sharply raising “sin taxes” on cigarettes and alcohol, in a bid to raise up to $800 million dollars in revenues this year. – Rappler.com

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