With its tax collection for April 2020 taking a steep 50% nosedive, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) here has asked local taxpayers who have yet to file their income tax returns to do so ahead of the June 15 deadline.
The BIR Revenue District Office No. 69, through Revenue District Officer Daisy Baroma, disclosed that as of last week, about 70 percent of its listed taxpayers have already filed their tax returns.
The early birds include the home-grown microfinance institution, ARDCI Microfinance, Inc., which was cited among the top 500 corporations and individuals which filed their annual returns ahead of the deferred payment deadlines caused by the twice-extended lockdown in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the bad news is that its revenues for April 2020 amounting to P28.6 million represent a 50-percent decline compared to the P58.1 million collection for the same month in 2019 when the ITR filing deadline was still on April 15.
The district’s small consolation is that it topped the Bicol region’s other six districts as far as achieving its goal for the month was concerned. It overshot the corrected April 2020 goal of P12.2 million by 133.19%, beating the bigger RDOs in Sorsogon City (71.85%), Talisay (38.99%) and Iriga City (34.41%).
The BIR offices in virus-hit Legaspi City and Naga City fared even worse, registering 19.02% increase and a negative 12.40%, respectively.
As far as the 2019 collection went, the Virac RDO also had the smallest reduction in collection, while Naga City and Legaspi City had -76.29% and -70.43%, respectively. Overall, the tax take in the Bicol region for April fell by 68.31% to just P333.9 million, just a third of the P1 billion recorded last year.
For the first three months of the year, the Virac RDO has collected a total of P156.1 million in tax and non-tax revenues, which is 48 percent over its goal and -4.50 percent compared to the 2019 take. It led the region in goal accomplishment and 2nd as far as comparison with the 2019 tax collection for the same three-month period is concerned.
After just managing to surpass its target collection in 2019, the Virac RDO No. 69 has been given the original goal of P547 million in 2020, but this has already been downscaled by the BIR national office.
At the national level, the BIR’s tax collection target has been reduced to P2.26 trillion, compared to its P2.58 trillion due to the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
The deadline for the filing and payment of 2019 ITRs has been extended until June 14, a Sunday, with the actual cut-off on June 15.
DILG directs LGUs to submit names of families who have not received SAP aid May 19, 2020
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has directed all Local Government Units to identify the households who were left-out in the distribution of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the government which is estimated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to be around five (5) million families.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año assured the left-out families that they will be included in the SAP so long as they are qualified under the guidelines of the DSWD. “Wag po kayong mag-alala, tutulungan po kayo ng ating pamahalaan. We are giving the LGUs three (3) days to submit their initial list to us in DILG and to the DSWD which in turn will validate that list,” he said.
He said that “left-out or waitlisted households” are low-income families who are not recipients of any Conditional Cash Transfer and who were not included in the initial 18 million households who benefited in the 1st tranche of SAP financial assistance. The LGUs have until May 21 to submit the names of their family-beneficiaries to the DILG and the DSWD.
“Nakita natin na despite the initial 18 million SAP beneficiaries, marami pa rin sa ating mga kababayan ang nangangailangan ng tulong. These left-out households, around five million of them, will be assisted kaya nakapahalaga na mabuo ng mga LGU ang listahan na ito sa lalong madaling panahon,” Año says.
He says that based on the report of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), around five (5) million left-out households (aside from the initial 18 million families targeted) are low-income households and are qualified for the SAP aid.
Through a DILG Memorandum Circular, Año directed all the Local Chief Executives to immediately determine and identify these low-income households and submit to the DILG Regional Offices and the DSWD field offices the list of these left-out households in their locality on or before May 21, 2020.
He says that the said initial list shall be prepared by the barangays regardless of the length of stay in the locality and voter’s registration of the members of the household, and must be posted in conspicuous places in the community and on its social media platforms for public viewing and access.
The DILG Chief said that those with complaints about the initial list of the barangay may appeal their case with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office or with the mayor himself. If no action is taken, the complainant may raise his concern with the DSWD.
In the Memo Circular, he clarified that the said list “shall in no way be construed as the final list of beneficiaries which shall still be subject to further validation by the DSWD.”
“Muli, barangay ang makakatuwang natin dito sa pagbuo ng listahan na ito. Binabalaan ko muli ang ating mga barangay officials na hindi namin sasantuhin ang mga mandaraya rito at maging sa pamimigay ng 2nd tranche ng SAP,” he warns.
The DILG has recently revealed that 23 barangay officials involved in graft and corrupt practices in the distribution of SAP assistance are now facing criminal charges. Twelve criminal cases are filed against these barangay leaders with four more to be filed in the coming days.