Tax Alert

(Revenue Memorandum Order No. 55-2022 published on December 15, 2022)

This Tax Alert is issued to inform all concerned on the suspension of all field audit and field operations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) starting December 16, 2022 until January 8, 2023 relative to examinations and verifications of taxpayers’ books of accounts, records and other transactions.

No field audit or field operations relative to the examination and verification of taxpayers’ books of accounts, records and other transactions, shall be conducted from the period starting from December 16, 2022 to January 8, 2023. Moreover, no written orders to audit and/or investigate taxpayers’ internal revenue tax liabilities shall be served except in the following cases:

• Investigation of cases prescribing on or before April 15, 2023;
• Tax evasion cases;
• Processing and verification of estate tax returns, donor's tax returns, capital gains tax returns and withholding tax returns on the sale of real properties or shares of stocks together with the documentary stamp tax returns related thereto;
• Examination and/or verification of internal revenue tax liabilities of taxpayers retiring from business;
• Monitoring of privilege stores (tiangge); and
• Other matters/concerns where deadlines have been imposed.

Examiners and investigators shall make use of this period to do office work on their cases and to complete the reports on those with already completed field work.

Service of Assessment Notices, Warrants and Seizure Notices shall still continue to ensure maximum revenue collection throughout the year.  Taxpayers may still voluntarily pay their known deficiency taxes without the need to secure approval from concerned revenue officials.