BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, April 22(PIA) – The Bureau of Internal Revenue(BIR) here will be closely evaluating the actual tax payments of several doctors and lawyers wth their yearly income to further boost the collection of proper revenues from the professional and self-employed individuals.

Lawyer Ma. Isabel Utit, BIR district officer, said the move will be done in the wake of low payment of these sectors when it comes to taxes.

“Doctors and lawyers in our province are paying taxes equivalent to rank and file employees of national and local government units. Expectedly, it should be higher,” she said. She said that the income tax due of several doctors and lawyers should not only be less than P200,000.00 yearly.

According to Utit, they will be closely monitoring the compliance of other professionals and self-employed individuals in the province which comprise a portion of the 40 percent income tax collection target this year.

“We are looking on the actual income of doctors and lawyers on private practice, particularly the data on their PhilHealth, hospital records and clinics for doctors, we also have basis for lawyers. In this way, we can check those who are engaging in private practice and has not yet been listed in the BIR,” Utit said.

She said they will also conduct tax surveillance operations and activities on other potential taxable properties and activities in the province to ensure the compliance of all sectors on tax laws.

She however underscored that the BIR is now in need of more revenue agents particularly revenue collection officers to address the imminent influx of more tax payers in their main office and satellite offices.

“We are only 30 in our office. A collection agent is handling at least two LGUs. So right now, we are in the process of scouting and hiring of competent additional personnel such as lawyers, Certified Public Accountants(CPAs), CPA-lawyers and accounting graduates,” Utit added.

These personnel, she said will be best needed for the deployment of their Mobile Revenue Collection Officers (MARCOS) who will be using a gadget to facilitate their payments of taxpayers in the field which will be immediately posted on their data base.