The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Dumaguete City is apprehensive about reaching its target revenue goal of P1,954,739,000.00 for the calendar year 2013.
As of October 31, this year, records at the Revenue District Office 79 (RD0-79) based in Dumaguete City and whose area of jurisdiction includes Negros Oriental and Siquijor, show an actual collection of P1,307,734,637.56, according to Richard Oquendo, OIC Chief of the Assessment Section.
It is unlikely to happen that the target goal can be reached by the year end, with only a few weeks remaining to collect the shortage of P334,751,362.44.00, Oquendo pointed out.
The RDO-79 is just averaging P125 million monthly in tax collection and the target goal for 2013 is just “impossible” to reach, according to Oquendo.
He said the target collection for this year represents a 34.53 percent increase over last year’s goal of P1,452,962,000.00, which the Revenue District Office 79 had surpassed.
For the taxable calendar year 2012, the RDO-79 managed an actual collection of P1,509,290,164.09, or an excess of P56,328,164.09 over the district office’s target, Oquendo said.
According to Oquendo, the BIR Central Office had increased the RDO-79’s target revenue collection for 2013 based on a one-time large scale transaction last year that had contributed to their surpassing the tax collection goal for 2012.
Oquendo was referring to the sale of the Herminio Teves and Company, Inc. to Universal Robina Corporation from which a P105.6 million tax was paid to the RDO-79.
But he said this activity does not happen every year.
The RDO-79 has been cited in previous years for continuously exceeding its target revenue collection and this could be the first time in years that it might not be able to reach its goal, Oquendo said. (PNA)
