BIR urges taxpayers: Pay dues earlier than deadline

MANILA, Philippines — “Pay taxes earlier than usual to avoid inconvenience.” This was the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) reminder to taxpayers months ahead of the deadline for filing.

“The taxable year is about to come to a close and ushers the start of the tax-filing season of income tax returns (ITRs) for calendar year 2015. The BIR is reminding the taxpaying public to file and/or pay their corresponding taxes due as early as possible to avoid being imposed with corresponding penalties, not to mention the inconvenience of late filing,” BIR Deputy Commissioner Nelson M. Aspe said in a statement late Tuesday.

“[The BIR] appeals to all taxpayers not to wait for the Apr. 15 [next year] tax-filing deadline, and start preparing and submitting their annual ITRs and its accompanying schedules and attachments (such as financial statements, statement of management’s responsibility, BIR Form No. 2307, etc.) as early as January 2016,” Aspe said.

Aspe also reminded all manual and electronic tax filers as well as accredited tax agents who use the electronic BIR forms (eBIRForms) and the electronic filing and payment system (eFPS) to download their latest versions and also file earlier than usual in order to avoid system downtime or technical difficulties.

The BIR claims it is prepared for electronic filing.  Aspe said all of their systems—the integrated tax system, eBIRForms, eFPS, among other eServices —  underwent last Dec. 26 their regular system maintenance as part of preparations for the tax-filing season as well as yearend adjustment.

To recall, following complaints from taxpayers as well as tax managers during the 2014 filing season last April, the BIR granted a two-month extension for e-filing. It allowed the manual submission of no payment returns until the deadline of ITR filing, after which taxpayers must re-file the returns electronically.

Last March, BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares and Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima issued Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 5-2015, under which taxpayers who fail to submit their returns using eFPS or eBIRForms will be penalized with a P1,000 fine per return, as mandated under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 or the Tax Code.

Also, non-compliant taxpayers will be slapped civil penalties equivalent to 25 percent of the tax due to be paid “for filing a return in a manner not in compliance with existing regulations, thus, tantamount to wrong venue filing.”

Under RR 5-2015, now required to e-file ITRs are accredited tax agents/practitioners and all their client-taxpayers; accredited printers of principal and supplementary receipts/invoices; one-time transaction taxpayers (ONETT); government-owned and/or -controlled corporations; local government units, except barangays; and cooperatives registered with the Local Water Utilities Administration and the National Electrification Administration.

In September last year, the BIR also issued RR 6-2014, which mandated the use of eBIRForms when filing tax returns. eBIRForms is an application covering 36 BIR forms, such as income tax returns, excise tax forms, value-added tax or VAT forms, withholding tax forms, documentary stamp tax forms, percentage tax forms, ONETT forms, and payment forms, among others.

For 2015, the BIR was tasked to collect P1.674 trillion in taxes, 25.4-percent higher than the actual collections of P1.335 trillion last year.  SFM