CABANATUAN CITY – Each lawyer, engineer, doctor like other professionals and self-employed entrepreneurs in Nueva Ecija should remit not less than P200,000 in income tax return to the district revenue office here per year as it battles to reach a collection target of over P2 billion this year.
The Revenue District Office 23-B based in this highly urbanizing city placed at P200,000 the benchmark for income tax on professionals and self-employed businessman, lawyer James Ferrer, ROD 23-B chief, said on Monday.
“They are supposed to pay P200,000 each,” Ferrer said, noting that most ordinary employees pay P50,000 and above in tax returns.
His office, Ferrer, said is also looking on a per industry tax assessment.
RDO 23-B intensified its tax drive as its target collection for 2014 was placed at P2,233,558,000.00.
The move was on the heels of the intensified tax campaign being waged by the BIR which earlier questioned tax returns of lawyers and other professionals in Makati City. According to its campaign materials, teachers pay bigger taxes than the high-income professionals.
Ferrer pledged not to overdo the program. “Of course we will not collect more than is due to the government,” he stressed.
RDO 23-B covers virtually half of Nueva Ecija, comprising the cities of Gapan, Cabanatuan and Palayan as well as the municipalities of Bongabon, Cabiao, Gabaldon, Gen. Tinio, Gen. Natividad, Jaen,Laur, Penaranda, San Antonio, San Isidro, San Leonardo and Santa Rosa.
Ferrer said meeting the target was not really far-fetched, considering the consistent growth rate the office has posted in the last few years.
From P1,191,562,960.29 in 2009, RDO 23-B has recorded a collection of P1,439,239,163.25 in 2010. This further increased to P1,504,182,734.97 in 2011 and P1,740,785,117.26 in 2012.
As of June 2013, RDO 23-B, records also showed, has collected P941,519,511.01.
Of the figure, the biggest chunk came from income tax which was placed at P622,127,003.15 followed by value added tax at P239,665,426.98; other taxes, P46,938,903.37 and other percentage taxes. P32,788,177.51.
Ferrer said that his office has been meeting with various sectors for a couple of years back to come up with honest tax filing among them.
“We have to continue widening the tax base, that’s the most important thing now,” he said. To do it, he explained, his office is reviewing the list of registered taxpayers and identifying delinquent ones.
“We will coordinate with LGUs (local government units) to ascertain if these taxpayers or businesses no longer operate,” he added.
Businesses that failed to continue taxes while operating will be placed under the bureau’s Oplan Kandado program, he added. “That will be automatic,” he said.
