CALASIAO, Pangasinan – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) district office here and in other towns and cities in the province, will be open on Saturday to allow taxpayers to settle their income tax returns (ITR) and other levies before the June 15 deadline.
In an interview Thursday afternoon, revenue district officer Ernesto Mangabat said this is to prevent the possible long lines of payers who would beat the deadline.
"We are encouraging our taxpayers to take advantage of this date to file their income tax," he said.
Mangabat said because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis, the April 15 annual deadline for ITR filing was extended until June 14, which falls on a Sunday, so the next first business day will automatically be the actual due date (June 15).
He said a 25-percent penalty will be meted for tax payment failure and another 20-percent per annum.
"We assure our clients that social distancing and other safety protocols will be observed to prevent possible Covid-19 spread,” Mangabat said.
He added that chairs inside their office are two seats apart, a footbath in the entrance is provided and security guards will be checking the body temperature of clients. Alcohol or sanitizers will also be available in the BIR payment centers.
The BIR-Calasiao district office targets to collect a total of PHP4.5-billion revenue for 2020.
"As of June 11, we have only collected over PHP1.2 billion,” Mangabat said.
Meanwhile, BIR has urged online sellers to register their business and pay corresponding taxes.
"It is in our tax code that all businesses and earning persons must pay their taxes," Mangabat said. (PNA)
