By: Rodrigo S. Victoria
NAVAL, Biliran– The revenue officer of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), this town, disclosed that the government tax collecting agency will be strictly monitoring the payment of five percent creditable withholding tax on all election-related expenditures incurred by local candidates in the province of Biliran in the 2013 mid-term elections.
Sol E. Penaflor, BIR-Naval revenue officer, informed that BIR has stepped-up its campaign in the compliance of candidates in the payment of five percent withholding tax pursuant to Revenue Regulations No. 8-2009.
Sub-paragraph W of Section 2 of Revenue Regulations No. 8-2009 states that “income payments made by political parties and candidates of local and national elections of all their campaign expenditures, and income payments made by individuals and juridical persons in their purchases of goods and services intended to be given as campaign contributions to political parties and candidates-five percent.”
She added that it is the objective of the bureau to ensure that all election-related expenditures like the purchases of goods and services for the campaign and election activities of the candidates and their contributors and supporters shall be subject to withholding of tax.
“If a certain candidate buys t-shirts, caps for distribution or other campaign materials for posting like tarpaulin, these are all subject to tax already and should be reported to BIR” she said.
The lady revenue officer clarified that candidates have the civic duty to pay the right amount of taxes to the government like any other ordinary taxpayers to support in the implementation of government programs, projects and activities.
She also reminded the candidates that all election-related expenditures incurred should not go beyond what is allowed by law which is only P3 per voter in the locality where one filed his or her candidacy.
Penaflor further informed that all candidates for the May 13, 2013 elections in the province of Biliran are invited to a half-day symposium on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at the Naval State University (NSU) Audio Visual Room in Naval, Biliran at 9:00 in the morning for them to be aware of their obligations in relation to regulations issued by BIR governing election expenditures and other related regulations. (PIA-Biliran)