Dulay lifts suspension on ‘midnight’ issuances

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay has lifted the suspension on the implementation of 26 revenue rules issued by his predecessor Kim S. Jacinto-Henares before she stepped down.

Dulay, however, kept in place the suspension on taxpayer audits as well as a number of controversial issuances, including Revenue Memorandum Order 24-2016 issued on June 8, which mandated possible audit or investigation of parties in transactions involving the assignment, sale or transfer of properties.

The BIR chief has also welcomed the reform proposals put forward by business groups and tax managers to speed up procedures as well as address pending taxpayer concerns when dealing with the country’s biggest tax-collection agency.

In a July 18 circular, Dulay said following a “careful review and consideration” of Henares’ issuances last June, the BIR allowed the implementation of 10 revenue memorandum orders, five revenue memorandum circulars, five operations memoranda, two bank bulletins, as well as four revenue special orders.

The BIR has been tasked to collect P2.026 trillion in taxes this year.

The latest data from the country’s biggest tax collection agency showed that as of end-May, the BIR’s tax take amounted P660 billion, up by over a tenth year-on-year but a fifth below the P833.9-billion target for the five-month period.

Business groups nonetheless also raised pending issues when dealing with the BIR, specifically: Tax simplification; tax amnesty; suspension of audit; simplification of requirements for clearances/permits; revenue regulations with impact on their businesses; renewal of registration for tax exemption; and policies on storage of documents.