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Thursday, March 19, 2015

BIR-RR15’s 2015 collection target set at P6.57-B

By Franklin P. Gumapon

PAGADIAN CITY – Tax collection target of each regional and district offices of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is increasing every year and this poses a big challenge not only to the BIR personnel but to the taxpayers as well.

Atty. Alert B. Alcocilja, regional director of BIR-Revenue Region 15 based in Zamboanga City, bared in yesterday’s launching of the “2015 Tax Campaign” that the region’s tax collection target for the current year is P6.57 billion, P1.6 billion more than last year’s collection goal.

Speaking before the representatives of the different government line agencies, local government units, businessmen, non-government organizations, professionals and others, Alcociljaadmitted that BIR-RR15 failed to meet its tax collection target last year but it recorded an increase in its actual collection of 10.31 percent as against its 2013 target.

He cited five reasons hindering the region from reaching its last year’s target such as a decrease in government projects, migration of taxpayers, carried over losses from previous years, power interruptions and high collection goal.

Another thing that is likely to affect its collection target for this year is the increase in tax exemption in bonuses of workers from P30 thousand to P82 thousand in that the government stands to lose P30 billion in taxes.

To cope with its collection goal, the BIR aims to pursue the “Oplan Kandado,” campaign drive on professional and self-employed taxpayers, Run After The Evaders (RATE) program, utilization of relief data in audit and investigation and campaign for voluntary payment of all taxpayers.

Appealing to the participants in yesterday’s kickoff program, Alcocilja said: “Please help the BIR meet its tax collection goal by paying your taxes not out of fear or compulsion but out of love of the country.”

BIR-RR15 is composed of the revenue district offices of Zamboanga City, Ipil, ZamboangaSibugay, Dipolog City, Pagadian City, Basilan Province, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.