Public urged to help BIR strengthen income tax collections by demanding OR
By Fayette C. Riñen
‘amid report that self-employed professionals do not remit proper income tax’
CEBU CITY, August 5 (PIA) -- Top BIR officials in Cebu admitted that it is hard to go after self-employed professionals who do not pay proper income tax as they urged the public to help them strengthen tax collections by demanding official receipts.
BIR-13 Collection Division Chief Zenaida Pancito disclosed that even though their office exceeded its target collection for the first semester, this year, more revenues could have been generated if self-employed professionals like doctors, lawyers and businessmen just report their actual income earnings which can be determined through official receipts (OR).
The collection performance of BIR-13 composed of six district offices in Cebu and Bohol garnered P6.15B from January to June, this year against its target collection goal of P6.08B of the same period posting an increase of 1.21 percent, this is reported.
“Unfortunately, the contribution of self-employed professionals to the total collection generated for the past six months of BIR-13 is merely .01 percent,” Pancito lamented.
There are 1.7M self-employed professionals in the country, a data taken from the BIR which Pres.Aquino cited in his 2nd State-of-the-Nation Address. The self-employed professionals only paid a total of P9.8B in income tax last year or an average of less than P6,000 based on a monthly income earning of about P8,500 which the President described as even below the monthly minimum wage.
BIR-13 Special Investigation Division Chief Zener Tabanao on the other hand, said it is very hard to go after these self-employed professionals because “we have to have sufficient evidence” before we can file a case against them.
“We also need a formal complaint to be filed in our office before we can conduct surveillance against the said violator,” according to Tabanao as he added that there is one doctor based in Cebu City that is the subject of their surveillance due to a patient’s complaint that he did not issue an OR despite being asked by the patient.
We encourage the public to help us in our fight against tax cheats so the government can raise revenues and fund more projects and programs that benefit the poor, Tabanao declared.
Isabelo Suelto, head of the BIR-13 Taxpayers Assistance Unit also said they lack sufficient field personnel to conduct spot checks on self-employed professionals and business establishments to inspect their financial books and verify whether the exact income tax payment is being remitted to the BIR.
“The ratio is 1:8,000 or equivalent to one field BIR personnel against 8,000 establishments and self-employed professionals combined,” Suelto stressed.
Pancito said income tax contributes about 67 percent to the total tax collected which includes percentage tax, value-added tax and other typed of taxes.
The bulk of the revenues generated by the government come from income taxation, Pancito declared.
“We are doing our share by educating the public through regular seminars and forums on the importance of paying taxes as we encourage public involvement to help us collect appropriate taxes by demanding OR and reporting tax evaders or tax cheats,” Pancito said. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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OWWA-7 offers enterprise dev’t training to OFWs to become entrepreneurs
By Fayette C. Riñen
‘move aims to make overseas deployment only an option in the future’
CEBU CITY (August 5) – Most Filipinos want to seek greener pastures abroad for economic reasons but the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) expressed optimism that in the far future, overseas deployment will only be an option rather than a necessity as it offers enterprise development training for OFWs to become entrepreneurs.
OWWA-7 Regional Director Wilfreda Misterio said the thrust of the Aquino Administration is to bring back the OFWs home and be closer to their families by providing them the needed training to become entrepreneurs where they could start their own business using their savings as a start-up capital or through granting of loans.
“Though OFWs are called modern day heroes because of their significant contributions to our developing economy, but the personal price they pay which is to be far away from their family is also a painful sacrifice,” Misterio said.
Misterio said because OFWs want to provide better quality of life to their families, they sacrifice so much bearing loneliness in other countries and sometimes tolerating abuses.
“But what is also painful is when the distance becomes the source of the couple’s separation while the consequence of a broken home has drastic effects to the children who might resort to drugs, alcohol and even untimely pregnancy for girls. This is the most pitiful part knowing our views on family life,” Misterio added.
The OWWA-7 head said one of the services they provide to their members especially those who do not wish to return abroad to work or even those with business inclinations is the enterprise development training.
The enterprise development training is a tie-up program between the OWWA and the Department of Trade and Industry where assessment is done initially focusing on the OFW’s qualifications of becoming a good businessman.
“We want to make sure that the OFW is capable of starting a business because we do not want his savings to entirely go to waste. Or for that matter, if it is a loan which we can also provide, to continue paying for it on top of an unsuccessful business undertaking,” Misterio bared.
The DTI can help on what kind investments are promising or help in the marketing aspect as well as provide references for guidance so the OFW can kick off his business, this is learned.
Although Misterio said the OWWA can help in sourcing out funds as start-up capital through loan grants, “but as much as possible, we advise OFWs to use their savings as start-up capital because the drive to work harder exists when your money is at stake.”
Misterio said they continually provide seminars on the importance of savings to OFWs and their families so that when the time comes that they no longer want to work abroad or are forced to quit their overseas jobs, they can still make it back home to start a new life and earn their own income. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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Public urged to help BIR strengthen income tax collections by demanding OR
By Fayette C. Riñen
‘amid report that self-employed professionals do not remit proper income tax’
CEBU CITY, August 5 (PIA) -- Top BIR officials in Cebu admitted that it is hard to go after self-employed professionals who do not pay proper income tax as they urged the public to help them strengthen tax collections by demanding official receipts.
BIR-13 Collection Division Chief Zenaida Pancito disclosed that even though their office exceeded its target collection for the first semester, this year, more revenues could have been generated if self-employed professionals like doctors, lawyers and businessmen just report their actual income earnings which can be determined through official receipts (OR).
The collection performance of BIR-13 composed of six district offices in Cebu and Bohol garnered P6.15B from January to June, this year against its target collection goal of P6.08B of the same period posting an increase of 1.21 percent, this is reported.
“Unfortunately, the contribution of self-employed professionals to the total collection generated for the past six months of BIR-13 is merely .01 percent,” Pancito lamented.
There are 1.7M self-employed professionals in the country, a data taken from the BIR which Pres.Aquino cited in his 2nd State-of-the-Nation Address. The self-employed professionals only paid a total of P9.8B in income tax last year or an average of less than P6,000 based on a monthly income earning of about P8,500 which the President described as even below the monthly minimum wage.
BIR-13 Special Investigation Division Chief Zener Tabanao on the other hand, said it is very hard to go after these self-employed professionals because “we have to have sufficient evidence” before we can file a case against them.
“We also need a formal complaint to be filed in our office before we can conduct surveillance against the said violator,” according to Tabanao as he added that there is one doctor based in Cebu City that is the subject of their surveillance due to a patient’s complaint that he did not issue an OR despite being asked by the patient.
We encourage the public to help us in our fight against tax cheats so the government can raise revenues and fund more projects and programs that benefit the poor, Tabanao declared.
Isabelo Suelto, head of the BIR-13 Taxpayers Assistance Unit also said they lack sufficient field personnel to conduct spot checks on self-employed professionals and business establishments to inspect their financial books and verify whether the exact income tax payment is being remitted to the BIR.
“The ratio is 1:8,000 or equivalent to one field BIR personnel against 8,000 establishments and self-employed professionals combined,” Suelto stressed.
Pancito said income tax contributes about 67 percent to the total tax collected which includes percentage tax, value-added tax and other typed of taxes.
The bulk of the revenues generated by the government come from income taxation, Pancito declared.
“We are doing our share by educating the public through regular seminars and forums on the importance of paying taxes as we encourage public involvement to help us collect appropriate taxes by demanding OR and reporting tax evaders or tax cheats,” Pancito said. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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20 PEZA locators in Cebu donate used batteries
to protect env’t, fund mini-libraries for poor children
by Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, August 4 (PIA) – Twenty locators at the Philippine Export Zone Authority-Mactan Economic Zone (PEZA-MEZ) in Lapulapu City, Cebu donated more than 16 tons of used batteries to support the project dubbed ‘Balik Baterya’ Program that aims to establish learning resource centers (LRCs) for poor children at the same time to protect the environment.
An initiative of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Oriental & Motolite Marketing Corporation (OMMC), the program is a unified call for environmental protection through proper waste disposal and recycling of used lead acid batteries (ULABs) as well as improve the quality of learning among pupils by establishing LRCs.
ULABs donated by companies are bought by OMMC and the proceeds are used to fund the establishment of LRCs which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on basic academic subjects
The more than 16 tons of used batteries donated by the PEZA-MEZ locators could generate more than P 380,000.00 which is enough to fund for at least nine LRCs, the PBSP claimed.
The donation on the other hand, was made possible through a Memorandum of Agreement signed between the PEZA-MEZ and program coordinators PBSP and OMMC in a forum held recently at the PEZA-MEZ session hall.
In attendance to the said forum were PEZA-MEZ Department Manager of Operations Atty. Rufino San Juan IV, PEZA-MEZ CSR Head Engr. Rolando Patalinghug, OMMC CSR Head Eman Ragaza, PBSP Visayas Regional Office Senior Program Officer Olive Jabido and 20 locators that already committed to join PEZA-MEZ for the cause coined ‘Batteries for the Earth, Batteries for the Future Project.’
“With the help of the organizers, the very things we consider wastes like used batteries can help provide for the foundation of our children's future. This project may not be able to put back power into the used batteries, but the used batteries can put power in the minds of thousands of children,” San Juan said.
PEZA-MEZ Environment, Health and Safety Officer Verna Luz Daño on the other hand, said “This (partnership) is a ‘solution within a solution’. The program enables us to address an environmental concern while helping us support better education for the schoolchildren. By having PRI and Motolite as partners, we know that our ULABs are properly treated and disposed of. Equally important, having PBSP with the program assures us of a sustainable and worthwhile development for the children.”
The signing of the MOA also marked the start of collection of used batteries donated by the 20 PEZA-MEZ locators as the newfound partnership expressed hopes that other locators will follow suit. While to make the program more sustainable, the latter plans to schedule quarterly collections for its locators in a year, this is learned.
“This program focuses on the concerted effort among MEZ locators. No matter how small the amount of ULABs a locator commits for this program, when taken together, the difference these locators make to the environment and to the schoolchildren are much more significant,” Daño said.
Locators that already joined PEZA-MEZ for the Balik-Baterya Program include Accuform, Inc., Cebu Chip Connection, Cebu Iwakami Corporation, Euro-CB (Phils). Inc., Halsangz Plating Cebu Corp, HPOI Corporation, KGS Phils. Corp., Lear Corporation, Lexmark International Phils., Inc., MSM Cebu, Inc., NKC Mfg. Phils. Corp., Olympus Optical Products Philippines, Inc., SAWO Inc., Taiyo Yuden Phils., Inc., Philippine Tonan Corporation, Pacific Aeronautical, Inc., Philippines Light-Leather, Inc., Cebu Logitem, Inc., Ina Micro Opto Corp. and Toa Kiko Cebu Corporation.