President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to remain vigilant in safeguarding and using public funds for projects that benefit the community.
“To the BIR, your mandate is clear—be watchful, be guardians of a system that ensures that every peso that is collected is channeled into programs that serve our people,” President Marcos said during the BIR’s 2025 National Tax Campaign kickoff in Pasay City on Tuesday.
President Marcos also praised BIR for surpassing its collection target for the first time in 20 years, attributing the achievement to strengthening enforcement and digitization efforts.
According to BIR, the agency collected nearly P3 trillion in taxes last year – the highest posted in two decades.
The President said the bureau’s revenue last year could easily fund 1,140,800 new schools, 190,133 kilometers of roads, and 167,014 rural health facilities.
However, he stressed that proper allocation and spending of these funds are just as critical as collection.
“You can be assured that we will closely monitor the spending of public funds,” he said in Filipino.
“We will ensure that our funds will result in projects that will benefit our country and the development of every Filipino,” he added.
The President cited BIR’s efforts against tax fraud, mainly through the Run After Fake Transactions (RAFT) program, which led to cases filed against ghost sellers and buyers.
The initiative resulted in P4.33 billion in 2024, a sharp increase from the P618 million collected in 2023.
He urged taxpayers to continue their commitment to compliance, assuring them that their contributions would support education, infrastructure, and healthcare.