MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang continued to stand by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) directive requiring online sellers to register their businesses and pay taxes even amid opposition as this would burden small entrepreneurs who turned to e-commerce to survive the lockdown.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the BIR directive was not new and was part of the implementation of an order issued by then President Benigno Aquino III.
“We are just implementing an instruction and law that President Noynoy Aquino started,” Roque told a press briefing.
But he said that those earning P250,000 and below a year would not have to pay income tax.
Lawmakers and online sellers had criticized the BIR directive, saying this would further deplete the little amount that many small online businesses earn.
—Leila B. Salaverria