Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that would make the process of paying taxes easier by granting taxpayers the flexibility to settle obligations and file their returns with any authorized bank or office.
During Monday’s plenary session, 240 House lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill No. 4125, or the consolidated version of bills seeking to amend Sections 21, 22, 51, 56, 58, 77, 81, 90, 91, 103, 106, 108, 109, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 128, 200, 236, 237, 245, and 248, while adding two more sections into Republic Act No. 8424 or the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.
None of the lawmakers present abstained or voted against the measure.
The said bill, approved by the Committee on Ways and Means headed by Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda last August 17, Section 51 of R.A. No. 8424 would be amended to allow taxpayers to file returns “with any authorized bank, Revenue District Officer, Collection Agent, or duly authorized Treasurer of the city or municipality in which such person has his legal residence or principal place of business in the Philippines.”
Currently, taxpayers can only file their individual returns in areas where they are registered.
Salceda is also one of the primary authors of the said bill.
READ: House panel OKs bill for easier tax payments
Meanwhile, Section 236 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 would be amended to require the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner to ensure the availability of registration facilities to taxpayers who are not residing in the Philippines.
A new provision would be inserted to outline taxpayers’ rights, which explicitly states that taxpayers would not be required to pay more than the prescribed amount and would be informed about easy-to-understand information.
This is not the first time a bill seeking to make tax payments easier was filed in the House. Last January 25, the ways and means committee in the 18th Congress, also chaired by Salceda, approved a similar bill.
However, it was not enacted during the said edition of Congress.
READ: House panel OKs bill easing payment of taxes