Thousands of Filipino families with unsettled estates revel as Republic Act No. (RA) 11956, which further amends RA 11213 or the Tax Amnesty Act, lapsed into law on August 5, 2023.
“They won’t fear it until they understand it. And they won’t understand it until they’ve used it.”—a quote in Christopher Nolan’s most recent masterpiece, Oppenheimer, which simply emphasizes the fear and/or power of knowledge, or its lack thereof.
Surprises are often something most of us want for our birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, etc. However, as taxpayers, would you still be delighted to receive a “surprise” if it’s from the BIR, and if it’s in the form of a visit to check your tax compliances? This “surprise” visit is called BIR Tax Mapping/Tax Compliance Verification Drive (TCVD).
In a recently decided case by the Supreme Court (SC), G.R. No 223767 dated April 24 2023, the Chief Justice ruled that the taxing authority must comply with the requirements of a valid substituted service even with the existence of a central receiving station inside the taxpayer’s registered address.
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) audits have been proven to be tedious and rigorous tasks for taxpayers. From the moment the Letter of Authority (LOA) is received, with the back and forth between the submission of documents and the presentation of reconciliations, up to the final settlement of the issues.
Value-added tax (VAT) refund administration presents many challenges. Taxpayers often face frustration due to inefficient procedures and strict requirements even for legitimate refund claims.
One of the letters that taxpayers (lectiophile or not) dread receiving is a Letter of Authority (LoA). This is the official document that authorizes the BIR to examine and scrutinize a taxpayer’s books of accounts and other accounting records to check and determine the taxpayer’s tax compliance.
The Bureau provided several issuances setting less strict regulations compared to the previous requirements. Here are the various updates on Value-added Tax (VAT) regulations issued by the BIR this year, giving more power to taxpayers and concerned agencies.