BIR to file raps vs delinquent taxpayers

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will now be filing criminal cases against delinquent individual and corporate taxpayers who have unpaid assessments as the agency strengthens its fight against tax evaders.

Internal revenue commissioner Lilian Hefti said during the weekend that these unpaid assessments would now be covered by the tax agency’s Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program.

Those found not issuing receipts and those that have been given letters of notices for their unpaid assessments will be facing cases under the BIR’s RATE program, the BIR chief said.

BIR deputy commissioner Nelson Aspe said the BIR has roughly P15 billion in collectibles from unpaid tax assessments of individual and corporate taxpayers.

Under the RATE program, launched in 2005, the BIR is mandated to investigate criminal violations of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 and assist in the prosecution of criminal cases against offenders.

The government’s RATE team is composed of revenue officers and lawyers. So far, the team had been able to file 86 cases under the program as of March 31, 2007.

The BIR collected P77.5 billion in May or 16 percent higher than the P66.7 billion collected in the same period last year.

However, compared to the agency’s goal of P78 billion for the month, the latest figure is short by P500 million, data further showed.

As such, the BIR is enhancing its fight against tax evaders to raise more revenues for the government.

The agency is tasked to collect P845 billion this year and is under heavy pressure to meet the target.

The National Government posted a budget surplus of P7 billion, the highest May surplus recorded since 1986 but the January to monthly fiscal position remains at a deficit, hitting P18.8 billion during the period.