BIR to give special calendars

Christine Cardona, Chief of the Revenue District Office-4

Assistant Revenue District Chief Charmaine Dela Torre

CALASIAO – The chief of the Bureau of Internal Revenue who supervises Central Pangasinan said that some 50,000 tax calendars for 2012 will be distributed so that taxpayers could take seriously the stated tax deadlines and reminders.
Christine Cardona of the Revenue District Office-4 based here quoted the recent pronouncement of BIR Commissioner Kim Henares that there have been court decisions that had been based on the tax calendars produced by the revenue agency in the past.
Cardona said this is not an ordinary calendar.
"When you file beyond the deadline, the banks are not supposed to accept the returns," Henares cited recently at the BIR website, noting that in this case, the taxpayer must go directly to the bureau to have their obligations computed first.
She stressed that there should be "valid reasons" in cases when the bureau could practice "leniency" in enforcing the deadline.
The calendar according to Cardona cost the government some P2.25 million.
The RDO-4 chief said that the calendar is part of the continuing tax campaign of the bureau.
The calendars will be distributed to different government offices and BIR district offices.
They will also be distributed to accredited accountants and big-ticket taxpayers on a first-come-first-served basis.
Apart from the important dates, the calendar also lists the authorized agent banks of the bureau and even the location of efficient service machines of the Land Bank of the Philippines, among others.

Meanwhile, Cardona said that from January to October 31, 2011, RD)-4 has overshoots its target of P1, 417,509,000.00 billion by more than P 86.2 million.

Last year collection of her office was almost P1.28 billion of the same periods

RDO-4 that is based here supervises two cities and 13 towns.

Assistant Revenue District Office-4 chief Charmaine dela Torre said that the surplus RDO-4 have been reaping for the last ten fiscal months was the result of letters sent by her and RDO-4 Chief  Cardona to tax payers.

“We kept on sending letters reminding them with their obligation. We kept sending those letters from the BIR. We mean business. We are after those who are not paying correctly their taxes,” Dela Torre stressed.

In the light of lower collections that beset the other district offices in Region -1 because of lower Tax Remittance Advisory (TRA) collection, dela Torre explained that despite the absence of projects from the national government through the TRA her office under the able stewardship of Cardona did not flinch to hit its tax goal (MCO).