BIR thanks Abono for new projects

BIR top honcho Atty. Beverly Milo

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY – The Bureau of Internal Revenue head in  eastern Pangasinan thanked Abono chair Rosendo So for releasing allocations for government projects in Region1.

“We are hopeful that the projects will be implemented within the year so that we can also gain from withholding tax remittances from these projects,” stressed lawyer Beverly Milo, the chief of the Revenue District Office - 6 here.

Milo deplored the sluggish collections from government- funded projects in the first semester of this year after the Aquino administration withheld  the projects’  implementation.

“Because there are no releases for projects now and the bidding of the projects are done on a regional basis,” she said.

The BIR gets taxes from the projects through the TRA (Tax Remittance Advisory) and the Local Government Units that automatically deduct the income tax and the Value Added Tax of the private contractors who construct these projects.

In the face of the non-implementation of projects from the national government, Milo has to aggressively collect taxes for her office to reach the goal given by the national revenue office.

She said that last year RDO-6 benefited from new projects from the national and local governments.

She cited the P220 million engineered sanitary landfill in this city approved and implemented under the administrations of former mayor Amadito Perez and his son incumbent Mayor Amadeo Gregorio Perez IV.

“Malaking project iyan na hindi na naulit now and other development last year. Paulit-ulit from NIA (National Irrigation Administration), iyong Agno River, rehab, so on and so forth,”

She said the goal of RDO-6 last year was P695 million while P444 million came from withholding tax.

She added that as of September 2010, this office has already reached its goal because of the massive government projects.

RDO-6, that supervises this city and 15 towns, is given a tax target of P975 million this year.

She also explained that the malls and food chains like CSI, Magic Super mart, Matutina, and SM in Rosales town are not paying income taxes and VAT, except the P500 annual registration fee, as they are all branches only.

She said they either pay in Dagupan City or in Manila where their main offices are based.