Q&A: BIR Director on Shooting, Tax Target, and Economy in the Region

Northern Watch Political Columnist Mortz C. Ortigoza sat recently with the new regional director of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the four provinces’ Region-1 at her swanky office in Calasiao, Pangasinan. He posed various queries to Director Teresita M. Dizon, who assumed her post February this year, on issues like the shooting of the service vehicle of the chief of a tax district, her tax target of P14.3 billion for this year, the economy of Region 1, the Growth Center in Dagupan City, and the kind of taxes BIR would be collecting after the Center was put under the auspices of the Philippines Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). Excerpts:

DIRECTOR DIZON. Region-1 BIR Director Teresita M. Dizon (2^nd from Left) poses with Revenue District Office (RDO)-6 Chief CPA-Lawyer Maria Isabel Utit (3^rd from Left) and Assistant RDO-6 Chief Charmaine C.dela Torre (4^th from Left) for the District Office’s “rampaging” in surpassing its monthly collection target since January this year.

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA: What is the update on the shooting of the service car of Revenue District Office Chief-5 Thelma D. Mangio (of the BIR Western Pangasinan)?

DIRECTOR TERESITA M. DIZON: Tinatakot lang si RDO Thelma. Actually we went to Congressman Boying Celeste, we also went to (Pangasinan) Governor Amado Espino III and also to Alaminos City Mayor Arthur Celeste to help us in determining who was behind the incident.

Sabi ng source ko naniningil daw siya ng rates sa taxpayers ng New Zonal Valuation kahit di pa implemented.

No, hindi totoo. May mga various activities she did sabay sabay mga malalaking (commercial) establishments sa Alaminos City and Bolinao.

Nang ha-hashiao sila ng income tax nila kaya may surveillances ang BIR?

Based on our data hindi sila ganoon ka compliant.
How much is the goal of your four provinces’ regional office for this year?
P14.3 billion for the whole year. P11.9 billion last year. More than 20 percent ang tinaas (from January) hangang August.

I saw BIR Eastern Pangasinan in Urdaneta City kept receiving awards every month for exceeding her collection.

Kami rin (in the region). Hopefully because of the plans and programs namin dito especially mga surveillance activities namin. Also filing of RATE (Run After Tax Evader) cases.  Sa Dagupan City nag file kami ng tatlong kaso for failure to issue receipts. Some of them were restaurants.

Kung naku-collect niyo your goal, it means the economy in the region is bullish?

Oo naman it’s growing even doon sa regional GDP (Gross Domestic Product) natin growing naman talaga ang Pangasinan. But siguro we have to classify the (inaudible) taxpayers to pay their taxes based on their incomes.

  Iyong Dagupan City ka a-aproved lang ng PEZA (Philippines Economics Zone Authority) her growth area in the Lucao-Pantal Road to host IT-BPO (Information Technology – Business Process Outsourcing) and other commercial establishments. Diyan sa IT-BPO maliit lang ang tax na binabayaran?

Witholding Tax lang iyan pag PEZA kasi 5% lang siya ng gross.

So ano ang ibang benefit ni BIR diyan, maam?

Sa withholding tax sa suweldo.

Dagupan Mayor is expecting 5000 jobs for the next three years.

Ya, kasi for the employment for taxation kasi, taxable 5% ang gross income, 3% kami, 2% sa local. Hati pa kami at the same time sa withholding tax and compensation.

Diyan sa Income Tax ang direct jobs 5000 workers and the indirect jobs naman generate say mga limang libo malaki na ang benefit ng BIR?

Possibly, depende na rin sa exception ng tao magkano ang allowance niya sa (tax) brackets. The higher the salary the higher the tax rate pag medyo mababa ka hindi masyado.

Before I closed the interview, what are other major accomplishments

your office had done?

So far Pangasinan is doing good. Actually tatlo (Revenue District Offices) ang naka goal, tatlo ang hindi.