By Joel P. Mapiles / Correspondent
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The provincial government of Pampanga donated recently a 1-hectare property worth P200 million for the construction of a P650-million building of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue Region IV (RR4).
With this, the BIR Officer In Charge Conrado Lee of RR4 gave Gov. Lilia G. Pineda a plaque of appreciation during the agency’s 111th anniversary.
For her part, Pineda cited the efforts of former BIR Regional Director Cory Francisco, and Lee, the incumbent regional director, and the BIR personnel in Pampanga for their consistent follow-ups that led to the donation of the prime-provincial lot in Barangay Sindalan, this city on Friday.
The governor also lauded the approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, led by Vice Governor Dennis Delta Pineda, in donating the property to BIR.
The governor stressed the importance of the work performance of the BIR, particularly on tax collection, which is the source of the Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) of the local governments.
“Alam niyo ba na wala tayong gagamiting pondo, wala tayong Internal Revenue Allotment kung walang collection na malaki ang BIR,” Pineda said in her speech.
Lee said the new location will provide ample parking for vehicles and is along MacArthur Highway, providing better convenience to commuting taxpayers.
At eight stories, the new building will be the tallest and one of the biggest national government buildings in Pampanga.
Lee added that the proposed BIR building will be the first green building in the province.
The governor recalled that after the signing of the lot donation with Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares at the BIR Central Office, she thanked the latter for the agency’s efforts in collecting taxes particularly the sin taxes.
Image credits: Jun Jaso