BIR collection up 14% in Nov

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Internal Revenue continued its steady pace of double digit growth with tax collections rising 14 percent  to P126.46 billion in November from a year ago level.

Despite the double digit growth rate, the agency still failed to hit its P130.57-billion collection  goal for November.

The November collection brought the BIR’s total tax take  for the 11-month period to  P1.12 trillion, exceeding last year’s collection of P1.058 trillion. The 11-month collections already accounts for 89 percent of the agency’s full year collection target of P1.253 trillion.

With still a month to go, the BIR, which makes up 60 percent of the government’s revenues, is confident it would meet its collection goal this year as it steps up efforts to curb tax evasion.

Collections from BIR operations reached P123.61 billion,  up P15.77 or  14.6 percent from 2012 level.

The large taxpayer service contributed  P83.04 or 24.8 percent more than the collections made in November last year.

Collections from non-BIR operations reached P2.85 billion, down  2.74 percent from a year ago.

The BIR is under pressure to increase its tax collections to allow the country to ramp up spending on infrastructure and other basic services.

The agency has  tightened its audit of industries and self-employed professionals as part of efforts to shore up tax collections.  It also  continues to file tax evasion cases against erring individuals as part of its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program.