LEAK PLUGS

TO AID BIR’S P3-T GOAL IN ‘24

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is optimistic of hitting its P3.046trillion collection target next year on the back of more aggressive efforts to curb tax leakages and improve efficiency through digitalization of its services.

B IR Commissioner Romeo

D. Lumagui Jr. said the bureau has already lined-up the measures and programs that it would implement to be able to reach its collection target for 2024, which is P407 billion higher than its P2.639-trillion goal this year.

O n top of its list, the BIR is preparing for the collection of taxes on online or digital transactions by strengthening its dialogue with the online platforms and online sellers.

L ast month, the BIR disclosed its plan to start collecting a 1-percent withholding tax from online sellers by the fourth quarter of the year.

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the BIR is set to collect about P107.52 billion from new and expanded tax measures next year, including nearly P17 billion from value added tax (VAT) on digital service providers.

Lumagui said the bureau is also looking to expand its manpower, but noted that it would be challenging since creating additional plantilla items would undergo government scrutiny and processes. We are hoping to be able to [create more plantilla items]. It is having a growing business wherein you need additional employees to address [the growing needs]. Right now the number of taxpayers is constantly increasing but the number of [BIR] personnel is not,” he told reporters in a recent interview.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has clarified that National Food Authority (NFA’s) stocks are not at alarming levels, considering the buffer stock at 300,000 to 350,000 metric tons at any given time.

“Our rice supply is more than enough for our needs for the next few months,” DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian for Rice Industry Development said.

T he country’s national buffer stocks must refer to grains–whether palay or milled rice—held by traders from local purchases and imports and households.

For her part, DA Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla for Policy, Planning and Regulation said that, “it would be faulty to compute NFA buffer stocks on the basis of the average national daily consumption of 37,362 MT since NFA stocks are now limited to emergency relief and for the requirements of the Department of Social Welfare and Development [DSWD].”

T he NFA is mandated by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to buy its buffer stocks only from local farmers to help them get better rates for their palay.

Moreover, the RTL buffer stock study of 2020 said the NFA inventory must be at 300,000 to 350,000 metric tons at any given time.

“ However, the actual buffer stock of NFA now is only 53,060 MT. We indeed need to increase this level,” Sombilla said.

M eanwhile, Sebastian has placed the country’s rice supply at 5.7 million metric tons of palay harvested during the dry season and an additional 1.9 million MT of imported rice in stock and 1.8 million MT carry-over stock from 2022.

T he country also has new harvest in July and August, albeit minimal.

Furthermore, DA’s latest bulletin shows that, per the assessment by Regional Field Offices (RFOs) in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Zamboanga