DAGUPAN CITY – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Region 1 is set to conduct an information roadshow on the Ease of Paying Taxes (EOPT) to educate taxpayers in the Ilocos Region about the salient features of the EOPT Law.
Carmelito Caday, head of the client support unit of BIR Revenue District Office 1, said the information roadshow scheduled on May 31 at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen town aims to empower the taxpaying public on the implementing rules and guidelines regarding Republic Act 11976 of the EOPT act.
“Through the roadshow, we will inform the public about the different features, visions, and points of the law. Because there are many benefits that our taxpayers can have under this law,” Caday told the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in an interview on Tuesday.
He said with the EOPT law, tax filings, particularly for those classified as micro and small taxpayers, will be simplified through the file-and-pay anywhere system and by allowing most of the tax processes to be done online.
Caday said the EOPT law ensures ease of compliance with tax laws, rules, and regulations, such as the adoption of simplified tax returns, streamlining of tax processes, reduction of tax or documentary requirements, and digitalization of BIR services.
“If you remember, in January 2024, the law abolished the annual registration fee. That was a big loss for our agency in terms of collection, but it was a big relief for our taxpayers because they no longer need to pay the annual registration fee of P500,” he said.
Furthermore, Caday highlighted that taxation is an essential part of government operations that requires the understanding of the taxpaying public.
“This is why the BIR is targeting to create a more inclusive environment among taxpayers and encouraging them to cooperate and help our government, especially BIR, in paying the exact and correct amount of taxes,” he said.
In the Ilocos Region, Caday disclosed that from January to May 2024, the BIR collected P8.9 billion, which is higher than the taxes collected last year, which amounted to P7.8 billion.
He said the roadshow, which targets over 1,000 participants across the Ilocos Region, will be graced by BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui, Jr. (PIA Pangasinan)
