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Taxation will always be contentious. Many Filipino taxpayers still struggle to understand taxation and tax compliance; among them there has emerged the view that the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) regulations and processes are far from ideal. So let’s examine the bold statement in the Bureau’s vision and mission -- “The Bureau of Internal Revenue is an institution of service excellence and integrity. We collect taxes through just enforcement of tax laws for nation building and the upliftment of the lives of Filipinos.” That guiding principle informs Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 6-2016, which was issued prescribing the strategic plan of the BIR for 2016 to 2020.

We may therefore be allowed to wonder, how will the BIR conduct the transfer pricing audit? What is the advantage of having transfer pricing documentation? How will the transfer pricing documentation affect our tax treaty relief application (TTRA)?

Taxation is the lifeblood of the government. For the government to function, it needs its citizens to contribute to this lifeblood. With the mandate to assess and collect national taxes, the BIR is starting off 2016 with two things: a collection goal through Revenue Memorandum Order No. 2-2016 and a number of programs to attain that as summarized in Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 14-2016.

Of the P3.002-trillion national budget, P702.9 billion is intended for infrastructure in 2016. The P702.9-billion capital outlay budget represents 23.4% of the 2016 total budget, and represents a 29.8% rise from 2015. According to the government, the programmed increase of infrastructure spending will bring the Philippines almost at par with the global benchmark of 5% infrastructure spending. Robust spending is good for the economy as it aims to link lagging communities to growth centers and people to opportunities. A significant increase in infra spending is also expected during this election year. Thus we see ongoing government projects all over the Philippines in various stages of completion.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 4-2016 dated Jan. 25, 2016, which provides for additional guidelines on the BIR’s internal processing of applications for compromise settlement, abatement or cancellation of internal revenue tax liabilities provided for under Section 204 of the Tax Code, as amended.

In August 2015, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) together with the Financial Executives Institute of Cebu, Inc. (FINEX Cebu), the Confederation of Philippine Exporters Foundation (Cebu), Inc. (PHILEXPORT Cebu), and the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants -- Cebu Chapter (PICPA -- Cebu) submitted a position paper to the Department of Finance (DoF) requesting amendments to the Bureau of Internal Revenue Importer Clearance Certificate (BIR-ICC) and BIR Customs Broker Clearance Certificate (BIR-BCC) requirements in relation to the accreditation of the importer and customs broker, respectively. To date, the petitioners have not received feedback from the DoF. Hence, I reprint below the significant parts of the position paper.

Tax rules seem to be constantly changing. Unless the taxpayer regularly looks up the latest issuances from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and court decisions, or has a battery of tax advisors to do these for him, or attends periodic tax seminars, keeping track of developments in the rules can be difficult.

Does your company have an on-going tax assessment covering tax year 2012? If yes, then it is likely that you have already been asked to execute a waiver on the statute of limitations.