HOR eyes 1-strike policy vs laggard BIR, BOC collectors

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

for our collectors to perform at the highest level,” Romualdez said.

“Taxes are the lifeblood of government in the implementation of propoor programs designed to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality. It is of vital importance in the government’s effort to provide access to better education, healthcare, and social protection programs,” he added.

ruary 22, the BIR chief said:

“We should give attention to you because ultimately you are the ones BIR serves and that is why our focus is really on the taxpayers. We are thinking of ways to reach out to the taxpayers and educate them,” said the commissioner, appointed barely three months ago. BIR welcomes and values all comments, suggestions, and opinions from the public, he said, adding that he also believes a well-informed taxpayer boosts voluntary compliance in tax obligations.

The commissioner highlighted four areas of concern the BIR will focus on:

Excellent Taxpayer Service; Intensification of Enforcement Activities; Transparency and Integrity; and Digitalization and Automation of Processes. He said the BIR’s approach will now be centered on taxpayers by expanding the ISO certification of all its offices to cover other services and further streamline all processes.

Lumagui described Finex as the seedbed for international leadership and a platform of national advocacy for financial issues. He said Finex can be one of the BIR’s valued partner in its mandate of collecting taxes through just enforcement of tax laws for nationbuilding and uplifting the lives of the Filipinos.

The bureau according to Commissioner Lumagui expects a full collaboration with Finex by working handin-hand with the BIR on the four areas of concern that the BIR plans to recalibrate. “In effect you are helping the government attain sustainable economic growth and development,” he added. “The collection goal of the BIR should be treated as the goal of Finex and every Filipino, for it will ultimately redound to infrastructures that will uplift Filipino lives.”

The Commissioner ended his message with the BIR’s 2023 battle cry, “Tulong-Tulong sa Pagbangon, Kapit-Kamay sa Pag-ahon. Buwis na wasto, Alay para sa Pilipino.”

Labor groups pitch inflation busters: tax relief, wage hikes

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

ALABOR group has called on the government to provide tax relief to workers amid the protracted high cost of living.

In a statement, Partido Manggagawa (PM) Chairman Renato Magtubo urged the government to scrap the “regressive” taxation like value-added tax (VAT).

It pointed out that the lost revenue from VAT can be replaced by their proposed “wealth tax on oligarchs and billionaires.”

The labor group also reiterated its call for a P100 across-the-board wage hike, social security subsidies for informal workers, and discounts on basic commodities.

“These will protect and improve the wages and incomes of workers in the formal and informal economy,” Magtubo said. He noted that based on their computation, as much as P88 has been eroded from the “real” value of minimum wage rate for the nonagriculture sector in Metro Manila due to high inflation.

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said earlier that wage hikes at this point may serve to further fuel inflation, thus becoming counterproductive for workers struggling to balance tight budgets.

Energy reforms

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said a big contributor to inflation are the high electricity rates.

TUCP Vice President Luis Corral slammed Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)) and the Department of Energy (DOE) for their failure in addressing the high power rates.

“It’s about time they wake up and actively do their respective jobs. Enough with their excuses already,” Corral said.

TUCP is pushing for the reduction of the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) for utilities from 15 percent to just 7 to 8 percent, replacement of the Performance-Based Ratemaking (PBR) with the Return on Rate Base (RORB) tariff-fixing methodology, and reforms for system loss, to bring down power rates. Both PM and TUCP called on lawmakers to support their respective proposals to allow workers to cope with rising costs of basic goods and services.

In a statement, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said this would help ensure additional funds for targeted subsidies, hospitalization, education, job creation, and other social protection programs for the most vulnerable sectors of society.

“I will recommend to President Marcos a one-strike policy against collectors who will miss their target revenues,” Romualdez said.

“The one strike policy is a key step towards achieving our revenue goals. We need additional funds for subsidies, hospitalization, education, job creation,” he added.

He said the inability of concerned collectors to meet their revenue goals has been compromising the government’s budget for agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and other priorities.

To remedy the situation, he suggested that collectors who fail to meet their revenue targets should be removed from their position and replaced by competent individuals to ensure efficiency in the administration of tax collection.

“Let us help the government meet its revenue targets. I hope our call will send a clear message