Report corruption at BIR, I will act on it – Dulay

Q & A: Northern Watch’s political columnist Mortz C. Ortigoza and some media men interviewed Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay of the Bureau of Internal Revenue during the 2017 Regional Tax Campaign Kick-Off of the BIR  in Lingayen, Pangasinan. The Questions and Answers mostly zero on the corruption perpetrated by BIR's top officials that undermine tens if not hundreds of billions of pesos of government revenues that should have gone to the public coffer to fund government projects.

Interviewer (right) posed with Commissioner Caesar R.
Dulay after his interview with him.

NORTHERN WATCH: You suspended iyong Letter of Authority (L.A) iyong sources ng corruption sa BIR kasi ang enterprising taxpayers nalalagyan iyong Examiners and other high BIR officials. Nayayari ang collection natin. Sir, meron kayong safety net kung paano natin masiwata iyan (You suspended the Letter of Authority one of the major sources of corruption in the BIR because enterprising taxpayers bribe the Examiners and other high BIR officials. It prejudiced our national collection.  Sir, do you have a safety net how we can ged rid of it)?

COMMISSIONER DULAY: Ang safety net diyan, may number of days sila to finish iyong Letter of Authority. If they don’t finish that then we call their attention. That’s what we did the first time. Itong bagay na L.A we will be issuing an order to give an update kung ano na ang nangyayari. Kasi ibig sabihin kung walang update inuupuan lang, nakikiapag usap lang (On the L.A I will be issuing an order to give an update and see what will happen because if there is no update, they sat on the L.A and negotiate on it).

 Is this task daunting?

It’s a huge task ang L.A, but we are working on it. For example iyong kinan-cell iyong ni recall natin mga 250 plus we asked to explain why they were sitting on the L.A.

Ikaw you tell me why they are sitting on the L.A?

Kasi pinagkikita-an nila. Sa watch ninyo 50 percent diyan sa mga Examiners, Assistant Revenue District Officer, Revenue District Officers, Assistant Regional Directors at Regional Directors including some if not many Commissioners kaya ba natin e reduce ang corruption nila? (Because they have a take on it, under your watch, do you think 50 percent of the corruption perpetrated by the Examiners, Assistant Revenue District Officer, Revenue District Officer, Assistant Regional Director, and Director, some if not many Commissioners can be reduced?

Ipagdasal natin, ipagdasal natin kasi iyan hinde ka naman puweding maging superman kasi. Diyan pagtutulungan natin lahat. Iyong message ni President (Duterte) na corruption should stop and we are confident na most listened to it also pinapakingan din ang call ng president that corruption must stop. Iyan ang pumapatay sa progress ng bayan (We should pray, we should pray because I could not be superman on solving all of these. We should help each other. The message of President Duterte was clear that corruption should stop and we are confident that they hear the exhortation of the president that corruption must stop. Corruption kills the progress of this country)

 JOEL BALOLONG, AKSYON RADYO: Sinabi ni presidente iyong mga Examiners papalit ang sasakyan wala isa  sa kanila na walang sasakyan. Papaano natin babaguhin ang image ng BIR sa gagawin na pagtugis sa kanila (The president cited that Examiners at the BIR have the propensity to change cars and almost all of them have cars. How can we change the perception of the people to the bad image of the BIR)?

 Well, inuumpisang sinabi ko ang message ng president, di ba. Tapos ang sinabi ko mag report kayo. Pag may usok, may sunog. Hinde gaya noon na hinde papansinin. Papansinin ko iyan. (Well, I told earlier the message of the president. I asked the people to report. If there is fire there is smoke. Unlike before that people were nonchalant) In fact, I heard some complaints and I immediately called the RDO and Examiner involved to explain if they are able to explain good but the message is clear. I get any complaint then I’ll call them personally.

NW: Dito sa Pangasinan sir, iyong isang dating high BIR official sa isang ta-on papalit palit iyong SUV niya, pabago-bago. Isulat namin ang mga ganyan na pomposity and flaunting of wealth (Here in Pangasinan sir one of the former high BIR officials change his pricey Sports Utility Vehicles every year! We are going to write or report this kind of pomposity and flaunting of wealth).

 Isulat niyo iyan, iyan ang gagawin ninyo (Write it, that’s what you’re going to do)!

LIWAY YPARRAGUIRRE, DWIC RADIO: Meron kayong (telephone) hotline (Do you have telephone hotline)?

 888

NW: Iyong plan ninyo to reduce corporate and income taxes, ngayon babawiin ninyo doon sa Value Added Tax gaya na from 12% to 15 percent (Your plan to reduce the income and corporate taxes but you’re going to spike the Value Added Tax from 12 percent to 15 percent to some industries). Are you not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?

That has been explained in Congress. Everybody has his opinion. That tax reform is a policy enunciated by the Secretary of Finance.

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