Taxpayers reminded of April 15 deadline

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is reminding taxpayers to file their income tax returns on or before the April 15 deadline.

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares stressed “responsible” payments are crucial in meeting the government’s 2013 revenue collection target of P1.253 trillion, which would be spent for vital infrastructure and social services.

“It’s not only in Metro Manila that they see the projects funded by taxes. In the provinces, the services are improving, too,” she said.

In a bid to widen the tax base, the BIR is now closely watching professionals and the self-employed, who do not regularly pay taxes, do not pay at all or even register with the bureau. These individuals would be up for audit, the agency warned.

The agency and the Finance Department have been getting in touch with various groups of professionals to remind them of their tax duties.

The BIR recently met with the Philippine Basketball Association and educated them on the process of filing their tax returns.

The DOF also wrote associations of accountants, engineers, doctors, and architects, urging them to pay their taxes ahead of deadline.

According to the BIR, only 1.8 million professionals and self-employed registered with the bureau in 2012, and only nearly 403,000 paid income taxes. There were two million active professionals registered with the Professional Regulation Commission last year.

Modes of payment

The BIR listed a number of authorized banks, where tax payments could be made, as well as various modes of payments.

The banks include:

• Allied Bank
• Bank of Commerce
• Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
• Chinabank (EZ Pay Kiosks is an option)
• Chinatrust
• Citibank
• Deutsche Bank
• Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP)
• East West Bank
• HSBC
• Landbank (Efficient Service Machine is an option)
• Metrobank
• PB Com
• Philippine National Bank (PNB)
• Philippine Veterans Bank
• Philtrust Co.
• RCBC
• Security Bank
• Standard Chartered Bank
• Union Bank
• United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB)

Mobile payments, according to the agency, could be done using Globe G-Cash or a tax debit memo.

The P1.253-trillion tax collection target in 2013 will keep the year’s budget deficit within the P241 billion ceiling. The budget gap was P242.8 billion in 2012.

In 2012, the BIR collected P1.057 trillion in taxes, narrowly missing its goal of P1.066 trillion. – with a report from Lean Santos/Rappler.com