PRRD to taxpayers: ‘Pay accurate and correct tax’

MANILA –President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged taxpayers to pay tax accurately and promptly so that government can deliver the services and progress for the Filipino people.

President Duterte made his appeal during the official launching of the Bureau of International Revenue (BIR)’s Large Tax Service (LTS) 2017 tax campaign at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

”You pay the correct tax –accurate and correct, on time collection and the spending will be there for you to see,” President Duterte said.

President Duterte said he did not and would never allow government contracts to reach Malacanang to get favor from him.

”There’s a lot of bidding in the coming months. If there is no equipment and capital, do not join,” the President said.

The President warned that he would order unqualified bidders to eat their bidding documents if they used government connections.

”Let’s not fool each other. I have this kind of character that you would not like: I kick and slap people,” he said.

President Duterte said Davao enjoyde nine percent growth due to the reforms he implemented in the city, which he ruled for 23 years before his ascension to presidency in the May 2016 elections.

”Look at Davao. Have you seen any local leader to hit nine percent growth? It’s only in Davao. Why? It’s clean, no crime, you can walk around, everything, people are disciplined,” the President said.

The former mayor, however, refused to get all the credits, saying ‘Davao is really the product of the sweat and toil of the Davaoenos.”

While appealing for accurate tax payment, President assured the Filipino people that he will not tax them to death “if I think it’s unrealistic.”

Dubbed as “Ako, Kaisa sa Pagbabago,” the LTS tax campaign aims to attain a total of Php 1.829 trillion collection target this year or at least Php 200 billion higher compared the amount collected in 2016.

The LTS is home of the country’s 2,320 large corporate taxpayers and contributor of at least 62.44 percent of the BIR’s revenue collection.

The LTS collected Php 963 billion, surpassing its 2017 revenue collection of Php 881 billion with a collection growth rate of 12.13 percent.

To achieve collection target this year, the LTS has committed to support the BIR’s four key priority areas: improve taxpayer satisfaction, protect revenue and recapture public trust, attain collection targets and adopt an expanded settlement program.

President Duterte was accompanied by Finance Secretary Carlos ‘Sonny’ Dominguez, BIR commissioner Caesar R. Dulay, BIR deputy commissioners, 20 revenue regional directors and other officials of the BIR.