BIR selects taxpayers to use electronic filing

CEBU, Philippines - The Bureau of Internal Revenue has identified selected taxpayers who are mandated to file returns and pay taxes electronically to enhance its online filing system.

Those who are required to use the Electronic Filing and Payment System include national government agencies, accredited and prospective importers, licensed local contractors, top 5,000 individual taxpayers, top 20,000 private firms, large taxpayers, government bidders, firms getting fiscal incentives, companies with P10 million or above paid-up capital, corporations with complete computerized system and Taxpayer Account Management Program taxpayers.

While those who must file returns using electronic BIR Forms are one-time transaction taxpayers, accredited tax agents, government-owned corporations, accredited receipt printers, local government units, those filing a “No Payment” return and cooperatives registered with National Electrification Administration and Local Water Utilities Administration.

In an earlier interview, BIR Cebu Director Hermeno Palamine expressed hope the number of taxpayers using the electronic system would increase.

He said the awareness of taxpayers on the online tax filing has consistently improved. The electronic filing is part of the performance evaluation of the bureau’s revenue regions and revenue district offices.

In a statement on Monday, Finance Chief Cesar Purisima said the revenue agency “has less than 3% of its taxpayers filing returns electronically, but we aim to dramatically increase this number to ease taxpayer experience and in the process encourage more people to pay taxes.”

The eFPS is a system where taxpayers can file their tax returns including attachments through the internet. They can pay their taxes online through an internet-banking service by debit from their bank account.   

The BIR has advised taxpayers the eBIRForms System is now available online after a routine systems maintenance.

Meanwhile, the tax bureau has twice trimmed its 2015 revenue goal to P1.674 trillion from the previously targeted P1.704 trillion due to expected revenue losses brought by tax reducing measures. President Aquino last week signed into law a bill raising tax exemption of workers' bonuses from P30,000 to P82,000. — (FREEMAN)