Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Preparing for an upcoming customs audit is one way to minimize, if not to avoid, the risk of having deficiency assessments. The recent issuance of the Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 1-2019 marks the beginning of the audit season for importers.
With the advent of Republic Act (RA) No. 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, taxpayers and tax practitioners have lauded the amendment made under Section 100 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC). Section 100 imposes donor’s tax on the transfer of property for less than adequate or full consideration in money or money’s worth. The amendment provides an exception to the general rule. In this case, a transaction that is bona fide, at arm’s length, and free from any donative intent will be considered made for an adequate and full consideration, even if the selling price is lower than the established fair market value (FMV).
A month after President Duterte line-vetoed the general tax amnesty provision of the Tax Amnesty Act of 2019, taxpayers who have long anticipated a clean slate with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) are once again confronted with the question of whether to expect rigorous tax audits by the BIR.
Do you want to run your own business? Before going into that dream of becoming your own boss, you might want to review the requirements for responsible entrepreneurs, especially tax-wise.
The concept of being secretive is quite ironic. Before something is considered a “secret,” someone must not only conceal something, but another must also know or be wary of the concealment. In fact, some experts would say that the more people desiring that secrets be divulged gives more power to those who know them.
News of the approval of the Tax Amnesty Act as Republic Act No. 11213 came out early morning on Sunday, February 17. It was signed on Feb. 14. The reports also indicated that the President vetoed the provisions on the general tax amnesty.
A tax amnesty is an opportunity to start over with a clean slate. Taxpayers with ongoing audits would consider this an opportunity to settle deficiency taxes more efficiently. An audit, even for taxpayers who are compliant, is costly and stressful. To quantify the degree of relief on offer, some tax accountants and managers have computed the savings that can be realized and even prepared position papers to argue the benefits of availing of a tax amnesty, noting that they outweigh the costs.
