MANILA, Philippines — A resolution has been filed in the Senate seeking an inquiry into an order issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) mandating online sellers to register their businesses and pay appropriate taxes to the government.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 453, Sen. Risa Hontiveros echoed the concerns of web-based merchants that BIR Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 60-2020 was an additional burden to those who just started their business after the COVID-19 pandemic left them jobless.
She urged the BIR to suspend its implementation until the end of the year to help small entrepreneurs survive the economic downturn.
“Our revenue policies should be sensitive to the struggles of Filipinos trying to make ends meet in these difficult times,” Hontiveros stressed.
—Marlon Ramos