BIR: Only few accountants in 5 NCR cities paid 2012 taxes

MANILA, Philippines – After Makati City, the government looked at the tax filing of  accountants in 5 other cities in Metro Manila.

And the findings: only 3 out of 8 taxpayer accountants in the cities of Taguig, Pasay, Paranaque, Las Pinas, and Muntinlupa filed their 2012 tax dues.

The latest Tax Watch advertisement released by the Department of Finance (DOF) revealed that only 38%, or 119 out of 312 accountants registered in the 5 cities, filed their income tax returns (ITRs) for 2012.

DOF also revealed that several accountants registered in the these cities declared “ridiculously low” income taxes as compared to their gross incomes.

Moreover, 36 accountants, or 30% of those who filed their ITRs in 2012, declared zero income tax.

“When you don’t pay your taxes, you’re a burden to those who do,” the BIR’s ad read.

Accountants are the latest target of the government’s tax “shame” campaign.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is the government’s main revenue agency, accounting for about 70% of total collections.

It targets to collect P1.456 trillion taxes in 2014.

In the first quarter, the bureau missed its collection target of P293.35 billion. It collected only P264.71 billion.

– Rappler.com