The Office of the Ombudsman will scale up lifestyle checks on officials within the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), in hopes of eradicating corruption.
During a Town Hall Dialogue with the PCCI on Friday, November 13, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla emphasized that revenue collected for public infrastructure, schools, and hospitals belongs strictly to Filipinos and not to the officer who collects the money. Moreover, Remulla promised that the money collected will be protected without fear or favor.
The statement comes after Remulla received reports of certain officials collecting more than the required amount of taxes in businesses, citing that no receipts were also provided.
“Linawin natin ‘to, walang lehitimong bayad sa gobyerno na walang resibo. Bawat pisong binabayad sa estado ay dapat may resibo. Ang bayad na walang resibo ay hindi buwis, korapsyon ‘yan,” he explained.
According to Remulla, there are instances when businesses pay double the amount of their taxes.
“Sa ilan sa mga ulat na ito, mas malaki pa ang walang resibo kaysa sa may resibo. Isipin ninyo ‘yan, mas malaki ang napupunta sa bulsa ng iilan kaysa sa kaban ng bayan,” he added.
