BIR personnel on tight watch – for attendance

MANILA, Philippines – Ahead of the busy tax filing season, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has tightened its rules on the attendance of its revenue officers.

Under Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) 5-2016 issued last Jan. 7, the tax agency said any revenue officer who fails to submit his or her daily time record every month shall be a subject of investigation.

“This office has received reports regarding employees from the revenue district offices (RDOs) who are not submitting their monthly daily time record,” the memorandum said.

The latest issuance upheld the earlier memorandum’s rule on suspending salaries of revenue employees who fail to submit their daily records for two “consecutive” months.

In addition, the memorandum said the BIR’s Personnel and Human Resource Management Divisions shall seek explanation from the personnel concerned why he or she failed to comply with the rules.

If after five days from getting a “call-up” the employee still fails to provide justification, the same matter will be reported to the agency’s Internal Investigation and Regional Investigation Divisions.

The two divisions “shall conduct a fact-finding investigation and act on the matter in accordance with their policies, rules and procedures,” the BIR said.

The issuance came two months before the April 15 deadline of the income tax filing.

RDOs and revenue regions usually grapple with an influx of taxpayers trooping to their offices at the last minute.

As of November last year, the BIR, which traditionally accounts for more than 80 percent of state revenues, grew its collections by 12 percent to P1.327 trillion.

It was tasked to collect P1.974 trillion in 2015. 

The government is scheduled to report its entire fiscal performance next month.