Why bash BIR?

We may have been wrong. This column was of the opinion that once the final revenue collection figures of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) have been reported, the year-old bashing of the agency would stop. On the contrary, the bashing continues. And the motives appear even more dubious.

It will be recalled that media has reported a successful bid by the BIR to meet – and even exceed - its fair goal of P600 billion for the year 2006. By fair goal, media was referring to the revenues that BIR had within its power, mandate and means to collect. Media had to make the differentiation because it was made clear during the height of BIR bashing last year that there were billions of pesos lodged in the agency’s overall goal which it was in no position to collect. They belonged either to the Bureau of Customs or the Treasury but for some reason were lumped up with the BIR’s collection target.

The final BIR collection figure for 2006 was P660 billion, or a remarkable P118 billion more than the P542 billion it collected in 2005. Finance sector observers, we recall, were quick to point out that the BIR marked the P118 billion collection improvement sans any increase in manpower or budget and without any additional technology support. We like the way our coffee shop pals described the BIR 2006 feat: it was the product of sheer human determination and will to succeed.

Further, the BIR feat overshot its fair goal of P600 billion by P60 billion.

Metro Manila’s coffee shop circles expected a ceasefire from the anti-BIR demolition squad which started the bashing of the agency middle of last year after an alleged "shortfall" in a single-month collection. The bashing abordered on the ridiculous after the smear gang started fueling a hysterical call for the replacement of the low-key Finance Secretary Gary Teves-BIR Commissioner Jose Mario Buñag tandem on the basis of a single-month "shortfall".

And now, the bashing appears to simply refuse to stop.

Our coffee shop pals say the demolition crew seems to have intensified its drive to have the Teves-Buñag tandem removed by zeroing in on two themes: first, on the P15.4 billion difference between the BIR feat and the "unreasonable" goal of P675.4 billion for 2006; second, on the supposed "accomplishments" of the persons which the shadowy group wants to position at the Finance Department and the BIR.

As usual, the smear job pins its hope on its efforts to mislead us, our coffee shop pals point out.

Here’s why. As usual, the smear gang wants us to believe that the inviolable collection target for 2006 for the BIR was P675.4 billion. We recall believing in that figure early last year, until we found out that the difference between this figure and the P600-billion fair goal were excise taxes collected by the Bureau of Customs and the taxes on treasury bills which were rightfully collected by the Treasury.

The P675-billion "unfair" goal was — and still is — a convenient tool for bashing Teves and Buñag. But the more the demolition squad harps on this issue, the clearer the motive becomes: mislead us. We are not about to buy the lie. Filipinos don’t blame people for not being able to do what they cannot do and were not supposed to do in the first place.

Here’s the second part of the current strategy of the Teves-Buñag bashers. Our coffee shop pals noted the rash of print and broadcast media hype for some local government revenue officials, lionizing their "impressive" performance in the collection of fees and taxes at their local turfs.

We know the ploy: The hype is designed to justify the year-old push for the appointment of these personalities to the national revenue offices. This column does not intend to minimize the accomplishments of these personalities in their local turfs. We salute their abilities and wish that they could do more for their cities in the coming years.

What we lament is the fact that to hype these personalities up, the demolition crew had to do it at the expense of two of the most hardworking officials in government today – Teves and Buñag. Why damage the reputation of the two if the motive were simply to promote the others?

But that is not the real motive, our coffee shop pals point out. The aim is to open the door to the aspirants by creating the devious impression that the incumbents are not up to their jobs. That is where the demolition crew is wrong. The adage "You cannot put a good man down" applies to Teves and Buñag.

The BIR bashing spree, as we said before, is most unfair to two persons. First, to Quezon City treasurer Vic Endriga. It looks like a plot has been hatched behind his back by the shadowy group to position him for the BIR post.

There is no doubt that Endriga is a superb performer at the city level. But he must not allow his reputation to be damaged by the shadowy smear group who wants to pit him against a nationally respected tandem.

With all due respect, the city treasurer would be dwarfed if he stood alongside the tandem, our friends point out. The city treasurer should avoid the comparison at all cost.

The other person to whom this plot is most unfair is President Arroyo herself. If she buys the propaganda of the smear gang, she risks losing two of her best performers. We also hope the President realizes that the Finance and BIR posts are sensitive – any movement in these posts will impact on the reputation of the country in the international financial community.

Once again, this column underscores: let’s leave the BIR alone to do its job. If there are interested parties who want the Teves and Buñag posts, let them apply and prove to us that they can do better. But don’t covet the posts by smearing the reputation of two good men.

For the record, we are not the biggest admirer of the Teves-Buñag tandem. That distinction belongs to National Treasurer Omar Cruz. Even before the final BIR collection figures were out, he already declared that the agency had performed well. The performance was the reason why the government had pre-paid a good chunk of its foreign debt.

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