Despite COVID-19: BIR-Laoag reaches its June target collection

Newly installed BIR-Ilocos Norte District Officer Marilou Sapungan fields questions from the local media as she announces that the Laoag City-Ilocos Norte district office has reached its target collection for June—PHP135 million. (Doms dela Cruz)

By Dominic B. dela Cruz (Staff Reporter)

Laoag City—Despite the COVID-pandemic, newly installed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-Laoag District Officer Marilou G. Sapungan announced that they reached their PHP135 million target collection for June.

She added that she hopes they will also reach their PHP142 million target collection this July, or an increase of PHP7 million from last month.

The Ilocos Times learned that target collection for the Laoag District for 2021 is PHP1.8 billion; and Sapungan is hopeful they will realize this with the help of taxpayers here who usually pay their obligations “promptly and honestly.”

To reach this goal, Sapungan said they will strictly implement the district’s plans and programs including the “Run After Tax Evaders” (RATE) and “Oplan Kandado”.

Earlier, the new district officer said BIR Laoag served closure orders filed cases in court against several business establishments last month.

In addition, she also disclosed that several more business establishments are in peril of inclusion in the “Oplan Kandado” program, which she said they will serve in the soonest time possible.

She stressed that establishments operating without BIR registration, not issuing receipts and which fail to file or pay their taxes are “candidates for closure”.

Relative to this, BIR-Laoag also implemented surveillance/stock-taking; stock-filer program; tax compliance; and verification drive/tax mapping.  

This time, however, Sapungan said that her office will focus and prioritize low-compliant taxpayers “na kung saan maganda naman iyong negosyo niya pero ang baba ng compliance niya o kaya zero naman iyung binabayaran niya”. 

“Kaya sa mga taxpayers sana i-improve natin ang compliance kasi pandemic ngayon kailangan ng gobyerno ang tulong ng lahat kasi maraming paggastusan ngayon gaya ng pambili ng bakuna na kung saan galling din sa buwis nating manggagaling iyung pambili,” Sapungan added.

With the July 10, 2021 modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) declaration in Laoag City, Sapungan said the BIR office will remain open for payment of obligation; she added that their e-services are also still open for

electronic filing, e-payment and others.

E-services/on-line applications, including e-registration for those who are applying for tax identification number (TIN); e-TIN verification; e-submission of FS; central business portal and others.

 

Vaccination Request

Meanwhile, Sapungan also confirmed that they sent a letter addressed to Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon to consider BIR employees as “frontline workers”.

She said, in the letter, that BIR employees continue to report for work even with the various quarantine guidelines.

It is in this regard, Sapungan added in her letter that she requests Keon and Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc to include the local BIR employees in the priority vaccination list.

As of press time, BIR records show that of the 80 BIR-Laoag employees including guards, only seven have completed their vaccines; all of them have comorbidities and thus were included in the first batch of vaccinations.

 

Sorry for off-line system

Sapungan also appealed to all taxpayers “to be more understanding” especially when their system is off-line or slow.

“Kaya humihingi ako ng pasensya kasi beyond our control na ang mga yan kasi umaasa lang kami sa internet connection pero nararamdaman din namin kung bakit sila nagagalit lalo na kung sila ay manggagaling pa sa malayo gaya ng Pagudpud tapos pagdating dito off-line or slow system,” Sapungan explained.