BIR credits reforms for higher tax collection in March By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
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HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) achieved a doubledigit year-on-year growth in its revenue collection in March, on the back of stronger tax compliance, sustained enforcement efforts and administrative reforms. Preliminary BIR data showed gross collections reached P198.755 billion in March, higher by 11.87 percent than the P177.666 billion collected in the same month last year. “The strong March outturn reflects a combination of taxpayer cooperation, sound enforcement, and institutional reforms that are helping us strengthen collection ef-
ficiency and build greater trust in the tax system,” Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza told the BusinessMirror. Mendoza said the agency saw improved tax remittances as more taxpayers filed and paid on time. The BIR’s continuous administrative reforms and digitalization also made compliance more accessible, efficient and convenient for taxpayers, the commissioner said. “Our sustained enforcement efforts, including audit, collection, and anti-illicit trade operations, helped protect the revenue base and improve overall performance,” Mendoza added. Moreover, the BIR released
P11.368 billion in tax refunds in March, or more than five times the amount released a year ago. As a result, net collection for the month stood at P187.387 billion, up by 6.68 percent year-on-year. “While the higher level of refunds tempered net collection growth, it also meant more funds were returned to taxpayers and businesses during the ongoing energy crisis,” the BIR said in a separate statement released on Wednesday. From January to March this year, the BIR has raised a total of P730.661 billion, a 5.83-percent increase from the P690.409 billion collected in the same period in 2025.
This already accounts for 20.41 percent of the BIR’s target of P3.579 trillion for the year. To ensure that the government has steady revenues to fund essential services and provide timely support, Mendoza said the BIR will heed the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go. The BIR has also extended the deadline for the filing and payment of annual income taxes to May 15 to provide relief to taxpayers amid the ongoing energy crisis. (See: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2026/04/15/heedingpalace-bir-sets-may-15-itr-filing-deadline/).
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Thursday, April 16, 2026 Vol. 21 No. 184
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By Andrea E. San Juan
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@andreasanjuan
AMILIES of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should start managing the remittances of their loved ones wisely as faster inflation and higher fuel prices in host economies could make it difficult for those working abroad to send more money back home. While the war between the United States and Iran has fueled the dollar in recent weeks which is expected to increase the peso value of remittances or the money sent home by OFWs, an analyst told the BusinessMirror said this could be offset by the rising expenses back home, after inflation quickened to 4.1 percent in March. “Of course, forex [foreign exchange] rates dropped as the greenback gained. However, inflation rates rose so whatever extra incomes from cash remittances [given a depreciated peso] will only be offset by rising expenses,” Jeremaiah Opiniano, executive director of the Institute for Migration and Development See “Crisis,” A2
HIGHER PALAY PRICES OFFER RELIEF Farmers in Nueva Ecija dry palay on roadside pavements to improve grain quality and selling price. Amid rising fuel costs, the National Food Authority has rolled out a temporary increase in its buying rates. Administrator Larry Lacson said the move targets immediate support for local producers.NONIE REYES
PHL CONFIDENT OF HITTING SOCIOECONOMIC GOALS DESPITE MIDEAST CONFLICT By Samuel P. Medenilla
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@sam_medenilla
ESPITE the adverse impact of the Middle East crisis and a sharp downgrade in the country’s growth outlook, Malacañang said the government remains confident that the Philippines is on track in achieving its upper middleincome status and its poverty threshold targets. Quoting Department of Econ-
omy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government has already rolled out programs to prevent the socioeconomic impact of the Middle East conflict from derailing government efforts to attain both goals. The said initiatives include providing cash aid, fuel and fare subsidies, and service See “Conflict,” A2
Experts back pause on LPG, kerosene tax By Justine Xyrah Garcia
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MID mounting calls to suspend excise taxes on diesel and gasoline, economists maintain that such a move would deliver limited relief to poorer households, with most of the benefits flowing to higher-income groups that consume more fuel. They also warned that a broad tax suspension may be difficult to sustain, given the government’s already tight fiscal space. At a House committee hearing on Wednesday, Finance Undersecretary Karlo S. Adriano said it would be more prudent to limit any tax relief to kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which are more widely used by low-income
households. He noted that majority of diesel and gasoline consumption comes from the top three income groups. This view is reinforced by Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) economist Leonardo A. Lanzona, who noted that the structure of fuel consumption itself limits the benefits of tax cuts for poorer households. He said wealthier households have broader uses for fuel and are more willing to pay higher prices, resulting in a larger share of the gains accruing to them when taxes are reduced. “It is true that the welfare impact on the poor would be limited… Lowering excise taxes therefore reduces prices only to inflate the sur-
plus of the wealthy,” Lanzona told the BusinessMirror. Based on the 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey presented by the Department of Finance (DOF) during the hearing, average spending among households in the 8th to 10th income decile accounts for 3.4 percent of their total income, compared with just 0.4 percent for the bottom 30 percent. In terms of gasoline consumption, the top 30 percent’s average gas spending account for 10.3 percent of their total income, versus 36.8 percent for the bottom 12.3 percent. Meanwhile, by industry, the Department of Energy (DOE) said 66.4 percent of diesel is consumed
by the transport sector, although it is unclear how much of this is used by public transport. This is followed by services at 17.4 percent, industry at 10.2 percent, power generation at 4.5 percent, and agriculture at 1.5 percent. Lanzona also pointed out that fuel excise taxes act as a rationing tool for limited oil supply, and since this inherently favors wealthier consumers, higher taxes are justified to shift more of the burden onto them. Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow John Paolo R. Rivera acknowledged that while poor households may see some indirect gains from a fuel excise tax See “Pause,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 59.8590 n JAPAN 0.3770 n UK 81.2287 n HK 7.6418 n CHINA 8.7826 n SINGAPORE 47.0997 n AUSTRALIA 42.6436 n EU 70.6037 n KOREA 0.0407 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.9530 Source: BSP (April 15, 2026)