The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has again extended up to December 31 the deadline for the mandatory use of nonthermal paper in all cash-register machines (CRMs), point-of-sales machines (POS) and other invoice or receipt-generating machines.
Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares issued Revenue Regulations (RR) 14-2015 extending till the end of the year the compliance with the new policy on the use of nonthermal paper in invoices or receipt-generating machines to allow taxpayers to store the information contained in those receipts for up to 10 years as required by law.
The deadline for compliance with the new policy made mandatory earlier this year through RR 10-2015 had already been extended twice, with Henares recognizing the difficulty that taxpayers have in procuring the new machines needed to comply with the policy.
The original deadline was set for October 1, for new businesses seeking to use invoices or receipt-generating machines. The deadline was subsequently extended to October 31, and now to the new deadline of up to the end of the year.
“In order to provide ample time in procuring, reconfiguring machines and systems, to comply with Section 5, adjustments shall be undertaken on or before December 31, 2015.
“Any extension due to enhancements of systems required to be undertaken abroad shall seek the approval from the concerned regional director or assistant commissioner, large taxpayers service, which shall not be longer than six months from the effectivity of these regulations,” the transitory provisions of RR 10-2015 now reads.
Under the new policy on the use of nonthermal paper receipts, taxpayers are also required to indicate relevant information on transactions with senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD), such as the Tax Identification Number and signature of the senior citizen or PWD.
For those taxpayers who are already using machines that use thermal paper, the BIR has set a staggered deadline allowing them to make use of their current machines for the next three years while transitioning to the new machines that use nonthermal paper.
The deadlines to comply with the required use of non-thermal paper by CRMs, POS and other invoice or receipt-generating machines are the following: for those taxpayers whose machines were registered on June 30, 2013 and earlier are mandated to transition into the new requirement to use nonthermal paper machines by September 1, 2016; those whose machines were registered from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 shall transition into the new nonthermal paper machines by July 1, 2017; and those whose machines were registered from July 1, 2014 onwards shall transition to the new nonthermal paper machines by July 1, 2018.