BIR asks businessmen: settle taxes or padlock?

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Nov. 23, (PIA) -- Authorities at the local Bureau of Inter Revenue (BIR) urge taxpayers especially those in Value-Added Tax registered businesses to pay right or be in trouble.

This as a chain of stores which boasts of at least 42 branches in the country narrowly escaped the padlock for violations against the National Internal Revenue Code.

Bohol Revenue District officer Romeo Naranjo had gathered the team set to implement a closure order for a local branch of an erring business in line with its Oplan Kandado November 21 when a new order called the operations off.

Oplan Kandado is the bureau’s program that suspends the business operations of non-compliant taxpayers as their establishments are temporarily closed if found to have violated tax laws.

“Oplan Kandado” aims to intensify the Bureau’s enforcement operations through strict imposition of prescribed administrative sanctions for noncompliance with the basic tax requirements, Naranjo explained.

Unitop General Merchandise Inc., with a branch business address at CPG Avenue here could have been closed for at least five days, had the call from BIR Central Office been 10 minutes later. 

Naranjo was prompted to initiate the closure order dated November 18, issued by BIR Deputy Commissioner Nelson Aspe against Unitop closure order, for failure and neglect to comply with the requirements set by an earlier BIR tax audit.

During a press briefing following the aborted closure, Naranjo said Unitop, with its main store located in Valenzuela, Metro Manila immediately sent representatives to BIR to rectify their deficiency at the exact moment BIR Bohol was gearing up for the operation.

Had the Unitop move to correct the deficiency came an hour too late, the closure order could have been served and the store already starting to show promise with pre-holidays buy could be losing greatly as it would be with its 41 other branches whose closure was set to be implemented Monday.

According to the BIR here, Unitop has received a five day VAT Compliance Notice dated September 29 but has not properly acted upon the notice.

Although information about the store’s violations were sketchy, policies under BIR Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No 3-2009 says that the Internal Revenue Commissioner can suspend business operations on certain grounds.

Pursuant to the provisions of the RMO, business operations can be suspended or temporarily closed for failure to issue receipts or invoices by a VAT-registered or registrable taxpayer; failure to file a VAT return; understatement of taxable sales or receipts by 30% or more of the correct amount in the case of VAT-registered or registerable taxpayer or failure  to register.

It adds, the closure of a business establishment shall last for a period of not less than five (5) days, and shall be in force until the violation is rectified by the concerned taxpayer.

But, just as Unitop escaped by the whisker, BIR Bohol reiterates to businessmen: settle your taxes or get padlocked and lose greatly. (30)