Kim Henares to remain BIR chief — Aquino

MANILA, Philippines – Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares will keep her post because she is performing well in her role as chief of the country’s top revenue source, according to President Benigno Aquino III on Monday, October 21.

Henares will also not be sacrificed because of a rumored rift between the Aquino government and the powerful religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), Aquino told reporters on the sidelines of the Seminconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) meeting.

The INC, which had showed again that it is a force to reckon with when it gathered an almost 2-million crowd in an October 14 event, was earlier reported to have asked for the replacement of Henares.

“There is no pressure from the INC for [the head of] Commissioner Henares,” Aquino said.

He reiterated his previous position that only non-performing officials face the cut.

Citing the figures he got from Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima who is the direct boss of Henares, Aquino said, “the BIR has new record collection and I understand from other sector that the difference with the target is very small.”

In the past months, the BIR collections have fallen short of the target. Aquino was referring to BIR’s September performance when the bureau’s collections increased a hefty 21% to P86.03 billion, but it remained below its P87.66 billion target for the month. (READ: BIR misses September collection goal)

“Don’t forget that the targets are placed really, really high and difference from the target is very minimal, which into my mind says, ‘Why replace a person who is performing well’,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English. “That seems illogical.”

Another agency under the Finance Department — the graft-ridden Bureau of Customs (BOC) — has more often missed its monthly collections targets than hit them.

The Customs is undergoing a major revamp and reshuffle of personnel. Henares, who was recently named head of the government’s revenue cluster, is overseeing those reform efforts.

The BIR collections account for about three-fourths of the government’s total revenue, while the BOC accounts for bulk of the balance.

Shortfall in collections result in a budget deficit that the government plugs via additional borrowings here and abroad. – Rappler.com