The Bureau of Internal Revenue Region 12 yesterday bared its priorities for 2008 particularly its aim to exceed its tax collection goal of P4 billion for the year.

“In January we exceeded our target. (In) six months, we see that we’ll be on the right track. We’re now positive,” said Regional Director Rodita Galanto in a press conference at the BIR regional office in Bacolod City yesterday, coinciding with the launch of the agency’s 2008 Tax Campaign.

In 2007, the BIR Region 12 only collected P3.4 billion, 9.94 percent short of its target of P3.7 billion. The 3.4 billion, however, is 13.2 percent higher than the agency’s P3 billion collection in 2006.

BIR Region 12 is composed of four revenue district offices – RDO 76 in Victorias City, RDO 77 in Bacolod City, RDO 78 in Binalbagan, and RDO 79 in Dumaguete City.

Jona Ruth Alonte, chief of RDO 77, said their office is mandated to collect 51 percent of the taxes in the region.

Alonte said that last year, they collected P1.7 billion, which did not overshoot their 2007 target but nevertheless surpassed their 2006 actual collection.

For 2008, RDO 77 has a collection goal of P2.1 billion, 20 percent higher than the previous year’s, she said.

Nationwide, the BIR collected P 712.098 billion in 2007, higher than its 2006 haul by P 59.365 billion or 9.09 percent.

But compared to its 2007 goal of P 765 Billion, the figure is short by P 53 billion or 7.02 percent attributed mainly to the increased utilization of input taxes brought about by the removal of the 70 percent cap promulgated under Republic Act 9361, according to a BIR report.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Galanto said other objectives of BIR Region 12 for 2008 include intensifying audit and investigation and collection enforcement and improving taxpayer satisfaction.

She said they also aim to improve taxpayers base by improving assistance procedure, compliance and enforcement process and integrity/accuracy of taxpayers registration data base.

Aside from that, the regional office seeks to improve knowledge management and integrity, professionalism, competence and satisfaction of human resource as well as rationalize its budget.

Meanwhile, the BIR central office, which has a collection target of P845 billion for 2008, said it will continue to implement its various programs started last year.

These include maximizing the use of data warehouse technology in the matching of sales and purchases data; information sharing on taxpayers data through linkages with the Local Government Units, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social Security System, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and intensifying enforcement through the periodic filing of criminal cases before the courts under the Run After Tax Evaders Program.*NLG

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