The Philippine Online Chronicles

The newly-appointed interim chief of the Bureau of Internal Revenue is optimistic that the government's revenue targets can be met within the next two months by boosting tax collection, especially on Christmas bazaars and shops.

Malacañang named Senior Deputy Commissioner Joel A. Tan-Torres as the replacement for outgoing BIR Commissioner Sixto Esquivias IV, whose resignation will take effect on November 6. Esquivinas said that he quit his post out of “shame” for failing to deliver to the revenue targets of the bureau.

The BIR was P241.5 billion short of its P798.5 billion target this year.

On his first day as BIR chief, Tan-Torres laid down new tax measures which he believes would help the agency meet its full-year target, and if not, at least minimize the shortfall in tax collection, ABS-CBNnews.com reported.

The new tax measures include a monitoring of Christmas bazaars and retail establishments on their issuance of sale receipts to make sure they pay the right taxes.

“We call this Operation SanTAX Claus,” Torres-Tan explained.

Other measures being developed are:

1. Five percent (5%) levy on campaign expenditures;

2. Electronic sharing of third-party tax information;

3. Enhancing the accreditation process for tax practitioners; and

4. Minimizing losses from tax-eroding laws such as the Personal Equity Retirement Account and Tourism acts.

While new proposals are being tapped, the new BIR commissioner said that the agency will pursue some of its current programs such as “Oplan Kandado,” which rounds up tax evaders and “padlocks” their businesses. The agency will also retain a grading system for tax collectors called the Key Performance Indicator.

Despite the confidence of the interim chief, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno is skeptical that the revenue department is going to meet its goal by the end of the year since many are still struggling from the two devastating storms that hit the country. Instead, he adviced the agency to run after "big time" tax evaders.

For his part, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said that the BIR is “so corrupt”and that there is no way of cleaning it up under the present administration.

Esquivias was the 5^th BIR chief to step down from office under the Arroyo administration.