Administration congressman Joey Salceda is seeking the exemption of online sellers from paying taxes after the Bureau of Internal Revenue wants online merchants to register with them and pay taxes even while the country is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic had prompted the BIR to extend the deadlines for the filing and payment of income and other taxes to next month.
Covid-19 has shown its impact in the government revenue target as the Department of Finance (DOF) reported that its collections for the first quarter of the year fell short by P156 billion.
Following clamor from taxpayers sidelined by the quarantine, the Bureau of Internal Revenue has extended the deadline for the filing of the 2019 annual income tax returns by a month, to May 15, 2020.
The House Ways and Means committee maintained that POGO’s should be taxed in the Philippines even if their operations are online since they have workers in the country.
