Dela Torre Collected More than P10-B a Month Before Target

 SEES P1.3-B EXCESS COLLECTION IN 2022

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga – The feat of the chief collector of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in this central Luzon province is worth emulating by her counterparts all over the country.

Revenue District Office No. 21-A Chief Charmaine C. dela Torre had already collected more than P10 billion on the P9.7 billion the government tasked her a month before the end of this year.

“The good news I was about to tell you ang P9.7 billion tapos na and we’re able to exceed the annual goal last month (November 30),” she told Northern Watch Newspaper.

TOP COLLECTOR. Revenue District Office No. 21-A Chief Charmaine C. dela Torre in a video presentation posted at YouTube for the education of the taxpayers how to transact with the Bureau of Internal Revenue in North - Pampanga. Dela Torre was feted this year as one of the top collectors in the country of the tax agency.

Dela Torre cited that for December she expects to collect more or less P11 billion or an excess of more or less P1.3 billion versus the annual goal of P9.7 billion.

The huge taxes that she will be collecting from the burgeoning cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and the towns of Magalang, Porac, and Arayat of Pampanga could dwarf the annual collection of many regional offices in various parts of the Philippines.

RDO 21-A is part of the 11 RDOs in BIR Region -4.

Dela Torre still lamented however that she could collect more for this year if her revised zonal valuation (ZV) was approved and took effect last August instead of September this year.

She assumed office here in November 2021.

She cited that eight months were opportunity lost for the government to collect new taxes after the old ZV expired on December 2021. She said amendments of the zonal valuation happen every three years as mandated by law.

With a new valuation, she projected a bigger collection for RDO No. 21-A next year.

“When I assumed my duty here in November I looked into the revision talaga. In a span of four months we were able to submit sa technical committee. So we are targeting by August that would take effect and that would double our collection from the One-Time Transactions (ONETT)," she told this writer earlier.

The new revenue she chalked up come from the deed of sale, capital gain tax, estate tax and others.

Another source of revenue that helped buttress the collection of her office was the huge quarry operations in the area.

 “Monitor ko na lang that it should be increased. So hindi ako pumapayag na baba ang collection sa quarry kaya monitor weekly,” she said.

Dela Torre was feted by the government in August after catapulting her office to No. 5 among the 132 RDOs all over the country by hurdling her collection target by at least 20 percent in August this year.

She was honored again in September 2022 after bringing RD0 21-A as No. 8 top collector in July to September 2022 among the same number of RDOs in the Philippines.