The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is banking on the nationalistic spirit of Filipinos in meeting its P1.704-trillion collection target, as it launched on Tuesday its new public-awareness campaign that seeks to equate the payment of taxes as every citizen’s contribution to nation-building.
The new public-awareness campaign is entitled “Angat Pa, Pinas!” and appeals to the nationalistic spirit of Filipinos to collect the highest-to-date collection target of the BIR this year.
The BIR is targeting to collect P1.704 trillion this year, up from last year’s target of P1.456 trillion, which, Internal Revenue Kim Jacinto-Henares said, would “realistically not be met.” The official figure on total BIR collections last year would be available only by March this year.
“For this year’s campaign, we want to instill patriotism among our people. We want to show that our country is moving in the right direction. If we do our share in the form of paying the correct taxes, we will all be part of nation-building and in uplifting the lives of our countrymen,” Henares said.
The campaign also features a song that Henares hopes to become a hit among taxpayers so that they would change the way they perceive the government’s collection and deployment of their taxes.
“I wanted a song that people can sing and can identify themselves with,” Henares said.
“That’s because we want to change how people feel about paying taxes.
We want them to feel that it’s their contribution to nation-building, and not as if they’re having a tooth removed,” she said.
The “Angat Pa, Pinas!” advocacy campaign is part of the bigger Revenue Administration Reform Project of the BIR, with the support from the Millenium Challenge Corp. and the Millenium Challenge Account-Philippines.