BIR collects P3-B unpaid taxes from 523 padlocked firms in 2021

Under its Oplan Kandado program, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shut down the operations of 523 establishments in 2021 for various tax code violations, which resulted in a revenue take of P2.95 billion in back taxes.

BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay said the BIR was also able to inspect 120,220 establishments nationwide last year and collected an additional P122.4 million in penalties for registration-related violations.

Under its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program, the BIR filed 137 cases before the Department of Justice (DOJ) involving aggregate tax liabilities of P4.4 billion and 17 cases before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) with total estimated liabilities of P1.4 billion in 2021, Dulay said in his report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

Dulay said the BIR also collected a total of P3.91 billion in taxes from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) as of December last year.

He said the BIR also increased its social media presence in 2021 to improve taxpayer awareness about the Tax Code’s provisions and the bureau’s various regulations and circulars.

The BIR’s Facebook reach or the number of people who have viewed the bureau’s account or content numbered over 9.6 million in 2021, while its YouTube channel now has over 10,000 subscribers with over 1 million views, Dulay said.