“Gandarosa is squeezing the businessmen dry. Hundreds of businessmen were forced to close down because of his unreasonable measures.”
by Ducky Paredes
Hopefully, there are reasonable persons in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Finance. When the businessmen of a major city undertake a united action against a regional director of the BIR, the director must be doing something that the businessmen cannot take.
Most businessmen live in fear of the taxmen, Not only should they not go out of their way to rile them, they ought to try to get on their good side. Nobody wants a tax collector as an enemy.
Sometimes, though, when the rules by which the taxman plays have become too arbitrary or the cut he takes for himself from his tax collections have become much more than the usual pound of flesh, businessmen will rebel.
This is what is happening in Cagayan de Oro City, which is considered as Mindanao’s industrial hub. Hundreds of angry businessmen are joining protests against the regional office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
The cause? A memorandum circular on tax collection, issued by bureau regional director Mustapha Gandarosa places business owners under a 15-day surveillance by the BIR to assess value-added tax (VAT) declarations even while an audit for income tax is ongoing. It also introduces new guidelines in computing annual income tax to be based on average daily sales.
CDO businessmen consider these as “oppressive measures” being implemented by Gandarosa. The local BIR is making unreasonable assessments and billings without reasonable and fair bases. The reason for this surge of activity – at this time – is that each Christmas Season, the BIR main office tells everyone to stop all collection and inspection activities so that the crooked and dishonest amongst the BIR will not use the season to mulct the businessmen.
Expecting this, the CDO Region is having a pre-Christmas activity. Isn’t that smart?
What can the businessmen do? Many want to declare a business holiday; hundreds of establishments will close shop, a move that could bring millions of pesos in losses to CDO’s economy.
Northern Mindanao hosts large multinational corporations, such as Del Monte and Nestlé, and is home to vast economic zones, such as the Phividec estate.
The region has posted the third highest revenue tax collection for the past two years, which businessmen see as their proof that they are good taxpayers.
Rodolfo Meñes, president of the Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry and spokesperson of the newly formed coalition of businessmen in Northern Mindanao says: “We are now pinned to the wall and we are given no other option but to fight back. He is squeezing the businessmen dry. Hundreds of businessmen were forced to close down because of his unreasonable measures.”
The businessmen say the Region issues mission orders (MOs) on a whim and that the assessments and billings that the regional office hands out do not have any clear bases.
Several small entrepreneurs complain that tax collectors constantly harass them.
A middling grocery owner says that he is being harassed to pay P30 million in taxes for 2007. One wonders if he even made that kind of money from his establishment.
Who can they talk to in the presently headless BIR to save Cagayan de Oro from this greedy Godzilla?
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We have a letter from someone who requests anonymity: “There is need for civility, decorum and respect among peers in any collegial deliberative body, and this is just as true in legislative bodies. All over the world they have their respective parliamentary procedures, including here in the Philippines.
“Basic in parliamentary rules is to show respect to fellow parliamentarians. This is manifested by courteous language, and certainly by refraining from casting aspersions or with false and injurious charges on the good name or integrity of a member of the Legislature while it’s in session. Such an unparliamentary conduct by any member is subject to censure.
“Senator Panfilo Lacson not only questioned the integrity of the Senate, he also impugned the character of a fellow solon. He is the one who should be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee. And the same holds true in the case of Senator Jamby Madrigal.
“Ironically, they are the ones charging their victim before the Senate Ethics Committee.
“Is it not a principle of fair play that only he or she with clean hands should have the moral ascendancy to seek relief in any form with the authority to pass judgment?
“Did Senate President Villar commit the kind of unparliamentary act that Lacson displayed in the august hall of the Senate? Wasn’t Villar the one subjected to verbal abuse by Lacson and Madrigal who both took refuge in the protective shield of that much-abused privilege of parliamentary immunity?
“Where’s the logic in the violators of parliamentary conduct being the accusers in the Senate Ethics Committee?
“Or, may it not be assumed that Lacson and Madrigal are only after publicity mileage at Villar’s expense?”
* * *
I believe that the fact that this particular deadly duo in the Senate are only after publicity cannot only be assumed, it is also presumed. They are ambitious. One wanted to be president so much that, realizing he could not be President, he caused the loss of the main opposition candidate in 2004; the other disrespected her aunt by fighting her will and not allowing the aunt to have what she wanted in death. And, for both — all for money!
Should the Senate be abolished? With these kind of Senators, should we even still support the Senate?
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“My sa o ne ‘iada, aby n’m poskytli relevantn’ dokumenty. Pati ces t’mu ng kung bakt’ zachovan’ ces P3.401m na Hind?ina binayad sa kabuuang P48.180m [dokumenty] sa projekt profilu maliwanag ces z’stancom si Sena Villar na Rep Villar. Na ces zd’vodnenie ng DPWH bakit nagkaroon ng zarovnanie dahili sledova? zamestnanca ng ng z’stancom si Sena A Rep
“Villar, tak ces tanong doon bakit? Lumalabas sa dokumentong hawak Ob?as, maraming nehnute?nosti na dinaanan ng presmerovan. na nov’ daan ayon sa panibagong pl’nu rozvoja.” – Part of a Press Release that, according to the Tribune, was sent to them by Sen. Ping Lacson’s office when the Tribune (whom Lacson accuses of being pro-Villar) asked Lacson for a copy of their latest. This is the latest gobbledygook from the senator!
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hvp 10.16.08)
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