MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. encouraged Filipinos to “pay the correct amount of taxes on time” to help the country’s economic recovery and progress.
“I encourage the public to pay the correct amount of taxes on time to support the country’s economic recovery and expansion so critical in this time,” Marcos said during the launch of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) national tax campaign in Pasay City.
“It is my confidence that you will continue to cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate with the government on how to improve the experience of our tax collection system.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Marcos also promised that his government will always use taxes to benefit everyone. He then commended the BIR’s efforts in modernizing transactions and improving tax enforcement, and to increase public trust in the country’s taxation system, he urged the tax office to preserve the highest standards of honesty and professional service.
BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. has pledged to be rigorous in prosecuting tax evaders. He said that the bureau is aggressively upholding the law to ensure that everyone makes their debt payments.
“We will continue to go after illicit traders. We will charge producers and users of fake receipts.”
BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr.
The BIR issued a demand letter to the Marcoses in December 2021 requesting payment of their estate tax obligations, which had increased from P23 billion in 1998 to over P203 billion. Bongbong and his mother, Imelda, are co-administrators of the estate of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
A Supreme Court ruling showed that the Marcoses’ estate tax assessment of P23 billion became “final and executory” in March 1999. However, in 2022, Marcos claimed that the P203 billion in outstanding inheritance taxes owed by his family should be reopened since they were never permitted to plead their case.