The government has lost tax revenues of at least P370 billion because of the ghost receipt syndicate, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) estimates.
At the BIR’s anniversary celebration in Manila late Tuesday, a presentation from the tax agency revealed the total amount of ghost receipts issued so far has reached P1.3 trillion.
“When we computed the total purchases that we saw in these receipts and calculated the value added tax (VAT) and the income tax, that’s the amount we derived as revenue loss,” BIR commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said on the sidelines of the event.
Lumagui said these transactions cover different years and various taxpayers.
“There would be more because we’re just after this one particular group, and there are other groups that are also selling these ghost receipts,” he said.
Lumagui said the impact of the BIR’s campaign against ghost receipts could be seen as early as this year.
The BIR created the National Task Force Run After Fake Transactions to pursue those involved with ghost receipts.
“Because of our task force, many have been coordinating with us, expressing their willingness to pay (the correct amount of taxes). We also received feedback from different accounting organizations that they will no longer purchase these fake receipts. If they pay the correct taxes… we will probably feel the impact immediately, maybe during the second half of the year,” he said.
Lumagui said the BIR saw the use of ghost receipts in various sectors.
“It goes across all industries. This syndicate that produces fake receipts, they are more than 100, that’s why when we look at the profile of the ghost receipt buyers, they come from various industries,” Lumagui said.
Meanwhile, the BIR also reported that the VAT gap in the country is estimated at 40 percent.
This translates to P546 billion in uncollected VAT annually.
“The VAT gap is not just about ghost receipts, it’s also about giving too much incentives,” Lumagui said.
The BIR chief also told reporters that the BIR’s excise tax shortfall in the first semester is around 11 to 20 percent.
“We will try to recover that, and the ones we will go after now are those who have not paid the excise tax on sweetened beverages, and for cigarettes, we will continue with our efforts there. Additionally, there will be regulations released regarding vape products,” Lumagui said.
