PALO, Leyte - Officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) expect to discover more tax fraud activity in Eastern Visayas with yesterday’s launching of electronic service and web page application in the region.
Estrella Martinez, BIR regional director, said that more cases would be filed against tax cheaters with the electronic system of transactions that would pave the way for further investigations.
“Through the modernized way of application, we will be able to electronically match and gather data to identify tax declaration discrepancies and cases that are suggestive of tax fraud,” Martinez told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview.
Yesterday’s opening of electronic lounge in the region was the last of its kind all over the country since the national government started to implement the automation of data gathering in 2004.
The lounge is housed at the BIR regional office here. It has five computers equipped with Internet capability to access tax agency’s electronic services online similar to the ambiance of Internet cafe.
The launching was attended by BIR deputy commissioner for information system group Lilia Guillermo, top officials of BIR in Eastern Visayas, PHILWEB Corporation, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry and some businessmen.
Guillermo, who led the gathering, said that the system would bring increase in tax generation and will push more businessmen to comply with the tax laws.
“With electronic filing, all tax returns should be filled up. We will get rid of paper since we can do it electronically. Some taxpayers prefer manual filing because they can leave other items blank,” the top BIR official stressed.
Guillermo disclosed that since they launched the program all over the country, the national government has collected a total of P2.230 billion from unpaid taxes ascertained through data matching.
“This is a very big amount and we hope to generate more taxes with the opening of this electronic lounge here,” she said.
Including the new lounge in Region 8, the total number of lounges has reached 19 nationwide. There’s one lounge for each revenue region offices. It offers 16 online services.
These automated services include BIR contact center, tax identification inquiry, confirmation of tax payments, logical grouping of users into communities, processing and transmission of tax return information, electronic sales reporting system, accreditation and use of cash register machines, new government accounting system, filing of income tax return, alphabetical listing of employees, submission of the annual information return on income tax, reconciliation of listings for enforcement system, information on tax payment performance, letter of authority monitoring system, business intelligence task force, and centralized correspondence system.
