Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Gone are the long lines and crowded offices every last day of Income Tax Return (ITR) filing.
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares attributed this is to the electronic filing system that cuts into half the number of tax payers flocking to BIR offices.
“Malaki ho yung tulong ng electronic filing. Siyempre hindi lahat ng tao nag-aagree. Pero tingin ko naman, sa traffic ng Metro Manila, eh gusto niyo bang dalawa ng oras kayong nasa kalsada para lang kayo mag file?” Henares asked on Friday (April 15).
[Translation: Not all may agree, but the electronic filing of ITRs is a big help. In my opinion, with the state of traffic in Metro Manila, would you like to be stuck for two hours on the road just to file your ITRs?]
Henares added the bureau has expanded the bandwidth or the capacity of its online system to accommodate more users.
Teresita Dizon, an officer-in-charge in BIR Makati, said less than 10 percent of their regular filers troop to their office. The rest, she added, opted for e-filing.
“Last year yung aming tax filing area eh punong-puno yan. Talagang overflowing. But today as you can see ang daming bakanteng silya. Ibig sabihin lang noon ang aming e-filing is very successful.”
[Translation: Last year, our tax-filing area was full of people. But as you can see now, there are many empty seats — a clear indication that the e-filing is a success.]
But not all are fans of the e-filing. A Jem Ariño said that the system was not user-friendly.
In Quezon City, the situation was pretty much similar. No more spillovers of people outside the compound but there are still last-minute filers.
As for later filers, Henares said they will have to pay surcharge and interest.
Even if you’re late, she added you still have to file otherwise failure to do so constitutes a criminal offense.
Henares’ legacy
As for her legacy, Henares said the bureau has contributed a lot in the development of the country, whether people like or hate her.
Henares added that through BIR’s efforts, the conditional cash transfer program has been expanded and more school buildings have been built.
Her wish before she leaves the bureau is for more Filipinos to become “tax compliant.”
