INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez on Tuesday said the policy for online shops / sellers to register with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is meant to protect consumers through traceability amid the surge in complaints involving online transactions.
“Nag-issue ng ruling ang BIR, nag-issue na po ng memo. Unang una, ito po ay para sa kapakanan ng online buyers din,” Lopez said in an interview over Teleradyo.
(BIR already issued a ruling, a memo. First of all, this is for the sake of online buyers.)
“Remember two weeks ago, ang mga lumalabas na issue yung mga online scams o kaya pagka may mga problema sa binili nila, hindi mo na ma-trace yung mga nagbenta. So for traceability, so this is really for consumer protection,” he added.
(Remember two weeks ago, there were issues regarding online scams or when there are problems with items purchased and delivered to consumers, you won’t be able to trace the sellers. So for traceability, this is really for consumer protection.)
Lopez also reiterated that online sellers whose income is P250,000 and below will not be taxed.
BIR earlier directed online sellers to register their business and settle their tax obligations not later than July 31.
The order came as several businesses shifted to sell via online platforms since quarantine / lockdown measures prevented physical stores from operating.
But the directive garnered criticism from lawmakers saying it was ill-timed given the COVID-19 pandemic.