The Bureau of Internal Revenue is optimistic of surpassing its 2023 tax collection target of P2.639 trillion, following its impressive performance in the first seven months, a top official said Tuesday.
BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said in a statement this could be done through an intensified tax enforcement campaign.
Latest data showed that BIR collected P273.134 billion (net of tax refund) in July, surpassing its target by 5.09 percent or P13.224 billion for the month.
It was also higher by 38.37 percent or P75.744 billion than its collections in the same period last year.
This brought the agency’s total collection from January to July to P1.492 trillion (net of tax refund), up by 12.21 percent or P162.404 billion from a year ago.
The BIR’s 2023 collection target was set at P2.639 trillion, higher by P303.500 billion or 12.99 percent than the 2022 actual collection.
“With the intensification of the bureau’s tax enforcement activities, specifically on the campaign against sellers and buyers of fake receipts, and with our newly-forged partnership with multi-sectoral groups for the enhancement of taxpayers’ service, we are confident that the BIR can attain, if not surpass, its annual collection target this year,” Lumagui said.