The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday said it collected P3.2 billion in January from the tax amnesty program of the agency even as it reminded taxpayers to pay their annual dues early which can now be done online.
The BIR said the tax amnesty benefitted at least 2,799 taxpayers for the month of January but program will go on until April 23.
Rosario Padilla, BIR head revenue executive assistant, in a press briefing in Malacañang, said the deadline for the filing of the annual income tax return is on April 15 with no extension amid the spread and local transmission of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
Padilla said the COVID-19 outbreak, however, has not negatively affected the collection of tax revenues for January and February.
She said to avoid queuing in banks or the BIR offices, taxpayers can use “offline eBIR forms package version 7.6” available on www.bir.gov.ph.
Payments could be done through BIR’s ePayment partners like PayMaya, GCash, LBP LinkBiz ATM/debit cards, DBP tax online credit/ATM/debit cards, or eFPS filers.
Padilla for manual filing, tax filing assistance centers would be available from March 28 to April 15 at all BIR revenue district offices (RDOs). There will also be eLounges in all RDOs available for online filers
She said the National Training Center at the BIR National Office in Diliman in Quezon City would also be open from March 28 to April 15 for taxpayers covered by Revenue Region 5-Caloocan City, Revenue Region 6-Manila, Revenue Region 7A-Quezon City, Revenue Region 7B-East NCR, Revenue Region 8A-Makati City, and Revenue Region 8B-South NCR.
BIR-authorized agent banks (AABs) shall also be allowed to extend its hours until 5 p.m. from April 1 to 15.
Padilla warned that taxpayers who fail file their income tax or files it late will be fined by a 25 percent surcharge of the tax due and a 12 percent interest per annum on top of the income tax due.
The BIR collected P2.17 trillion in taxes in 2019. (J. Montemayor)
