Tall Order for BIR-North Pam: P14.4-B Target

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – The Revenue District Office No. 21A - that covers two cities and three towns - has been given a tall order by the national government to collect P14.4 billion this year.

TOP EXECUTIVES of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in central Luzon pose with one of the top taxpayers during the tax campaign kick-off rally of Revenue District Office No. 21A held recently at the Activity Center of Marquee Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga. From left to right: RDO No. 21A Chief Charmaine C. dela Torre, BIR Revenue Region No. 4 Director Emmanuel Ferrer, awardee-taxpayer and her male assistant, RR No. 4 Assistant Regional Director Marlon Mendoza and Assistant RDO No. 21A Chief Amalia de Leon. Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza

“This year our district’s goal had ballooned to P14.4 billion or P2.7 billion higher than on last year’s collection – a whopping 23 percent increase! This means that we will be again doubling if not tripling the effort to build with this enormous goal,” declared by RDO No. 21A Chief Charmaine C. Dela Torre during the tax campaign kick-off held recently at the Activity Center of Marquee Mall in this city.

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue Region No. 4 Director Emmanuel Ferrer, who was one of the speakers, said that the flagship district faces a tough goal for this year.

“Mabigat lalo ang kanilang goal. Sila po ang flagship district natin sa buong region.  Sila po ang may pinakamataas na goal for this year and their goal this year: P14.457 billion”.

Dela Torre appealed to the taxpayers to continue their support for the BIR by paying the correct taxes.

Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza

RDO 21A covers the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and the towns of Magalang, Porac, and Arayat.

“As we will also continue to give back to you what you truly deserve and that is giving you better and efficient quality service to everyone,” Dela Torre, a native of Calasiao, Pangasinan, stressed.

The RDO Chief optimistically told hundreds of crowd that she soldiered on because last year bode well for her district. Even Director Ferrer lauded Dela Torre’s district in hailing the most number of taxpayers who attended the tax campaign kick-off he ever witnessed in the region.

The multitude included the awardees for the individual and non-individual taxpayers, Director Ferrer, Assistant Regional Director Marlon Mendoza, Assistant RDO No. 21A Chief Amalia de Leon, and other officials of the tax agency in North Pampanga.

The RDO-21A Chief exceeded the 2022 collection of P10.4 billion by racking up P11.7 billion in 2023 or a surplus of P1.3 billion. She lauded the men and women of RDO-21A and the support of Ferrer and Mendoza for a positive performance last year.

“And of course let’s not forget to acknowledge and thank the source of all these blessings and glory and praise to our God”.

The North Pampanga chief called the taxpayers to pay faithfully their taxes as the April 15 deadline for the annual income tax return (ITR) approaches.

RDO 21A became a consistent achiever awardee on goal attainment from January to October 2023 while based on the audit and investigation for 2023, it cumulated P364 million versus P171 million in 2022 on its deficiency tax collection.

It filed cases against four erring taxpayers under the Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) that violated the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), filed cases on four taxpayers on Oplan Kandado or closure of their shops, collected P85.3 million in 2023 versus P31 million in 2022 on excise taxes on quarry operations.

Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza

Dela Torre’s district became the top RDO under Revenue Region No. 4 in Tax Awareness Program (TAP) for 2022. It was a first runner up nationwide on the 2023 Tax Infomercial Making Contest.

On its Tax Compliance Verification Drive (TCVD), it chalked up 2, 807 in 2023 compared to 1,626 in 2022. On the increase on the number of business registrants, there were 29, 954 in 2023 versus the 24, 893 in 2022.

Moreover, RDO 21A garnered the highest overall satisfaction rating among taxpayers in the region while it successfully passed the ISO 9001 that covered business registration, one-time transaction process, processing and issuance of tax clearance certificate, and retrieval of BCS Reports and tax returns filed with authorized agent banks.

“Let’s do it again this 2024. Let’s embrace this year’s slogan of the BIR: “Sa tamang buwis pag-asenso’y mabilis,” Dela Torre exhorted the taxpayers.