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BIR request to block Facebook, Twitter over tax issues

In another surprise move by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, a request was sent to the NTC and ISPs to block several international websites for failure to remit proper taxes from operating within the Philippine internet domain.

A copy of the letter was sent to the National Telecommunications Commission to demand ISPs to block access to certain social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter for failure to submit tax declarations from their operations in the Philippines.

Facebook and Twitter are among the top destinations of Filipinos with the country being dubbed as the social media capital of the world.

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares estimates about Php350 million have been transacted thru Facebook and Twitter since 2009 when they became popular in the Philippines and started offering advertising.

The Bureau has been monitoring Facebook and Twitter for the last three fiscal years. It is within our authority to look into their operation and request the proper agencies like NTC to block them if they do not cooperate…“, Comm. Henares added.

The BIR has a target collection of Php1.46 Trillion for the year 2014 and it has already missed its targets in January. Seeking out new avenues to increase their collections has been a strategy of the bureau for the past couple of years.

The NTC has yet to act on the request of BIR. PLDT and Globe refused to comment on the matter.

{ Photo credit: ManilaTimes.net }

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Abe Olandres
Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.
  1. I don’t want to live in this country anymore –> paste Professore Farnsworth image here.

    Oh well. Mght as well block the whole internet and bring back the Philippines to the dark ages.


  2. HAHAHA!

    Happy April’s Fool everyone! But yeah, whether this is true or not, it’s futile and crazy. HAHAHA!


  3. basahin nyo kasi lahat

    TAGGED AS: april fools joke, bir facebook, bir twitter


  4. This is a challenge for BIR I just.

    – I love this Joke! made my day


  5. hayz ang hinde nakakaintindi ng April fools prank lol


  6. Si Henares naman nag-a-ala Kim Jong Un na….anong kinalaman ng taombayan sa problema niyo sa koleksiyon? mandamay ba


  7. Woah you got me there… April Fools…lol…

    But in Vietnam (am planning to work there) they actually do block Facebook and other social networks due to tax issues, as I’ve found doing research.


  8. i laud the efforts and programs of bir to increase tax remittances, going after those tax evaders among others, but blocking social media sites, facebook seriously? are you out of your darn mind commissioner? just because of entities transacting their business on sites like facebook you’ll block it? maybe you need to rethink about blocking facebook, and devise ways, pass laws in getting taxes through online selling to get those missed taxes. remember no one owns the internet, vpn exists, paid and for free, their will be someone who will find ways to bypass that. that block request is just plain ludicrous. its 21st century and to quote michael crichton “Whether you see the world as emergent or, deteriorating. We have long known that some people favor innovation and look positively toward the future while others are frightened of change and want to halt innovation.”


    • people not only transact thru facebook… facebook accept payments from some of pinoy who wants to advertise in facebook… you may see some of the posts with “sponsored” mark. It means, someone pays facebook to promote it…


    • oh, missed that point. thanks for adding. though its an april fools joke, who knows the bir might come up with this idea.


    • nagdadahilan kapa eh uto uto ka naman kunyari alam nya


  9. pansustento eto sa mga gobyernong nahuling nangungurakot,tulad ni napoles, ginagastusan pa sa bilangguan, tsk tsk. malaking kalokohan to,todo kuha sla ng tax. hindi naman sa maayos napupunta.


  10. Tignan nyo po yung Tags sa ilalim ng article na ito…

    “TAGGED AS: april fools joke, bir facebook, bir twitter”

    All you can do now is to share this article on FB or twitter para makabawi kayo. =D


  11. bakit hindi yung mga telecommunication yung singilin niyo niyan. at yung nag post ng ads sa facebook at twitter ang singilin. Dapat before mag post yung mga gustong company sa Facebook, twitter at etc.dapat may records din sila nun…Magawa lang ng BIR talaga..bakit yung mga telecommunication Tax Free or Tax Discounted pa nga kung minsan.


  12. Kahit April Fools Joke yan, baka patulan talaga yan ng BIR. lol


  13. Many Filipino users of Facebook and Twitter does not know that these social media companies is earning a lot (billions of dollars worldwide)from advertisements. Kim Henares is correct. Our country must benefit for using those sites. Remember Philippines is the “selfie” capital of the world and the owners of Facebook and twitter are happy about it.


  14. This is not a joke. Persons, including foreign corporations are liable for tax if operating performing business operations within the Philippines.


  15. Don’t give those cockroaches in the BIR any more ideas. Joke or not


  16. always collecting but not even utilizing our taxes well. Palaging pumupunta sa bulsa nang ibang tao. It happens all the time for years now. tsk


    • Correct, sa bulsa lang nila napupunta ang pinagpaguran ng tao


  17. On a serious note, I realize that a small lowly employee like me pays 1/10,000,000 of the target collection every year woah. My net take home pay is c.33k every month. I pay a 6 figure tax every year dahil dami bonuses and our company is very compliant with regard to taxes.

    That just goes to show that what this stupid govt agency needs is efficiency and to go after them bigger fishes. Putsa makikita mo ung ibang dambuhalang corporation may mga tax holiday at credit pa. And fyi mas malaki pa ata annual tax ko kay Bong Revilla. Lol

    Lagi na lang nilang tinatarget tayong mga mamamayan. Tsk3


    • I don’t know kung ang gusto mo express eh ung pagkadismaya mo sa gobyerno or gusto mo lang pagyabang ang sahod mo…

      mas ma-angas ung 33k mo na net pay per month at ang six figure tax na binabayaran mo annually…


    • call center ka ba? ako kasi programmer 50k lang naman yung take home ko….BOOM!


    • lol call center ka tapos 33k lang.. saka yung programmer na yan kunyari lang yan pulubi lang din yan


  18. lol. it was the P350Mil that gave it away. too small. haha. good job. napatingin ako e


  19. Well I hope they pursue it, because its the right thing to do. Those owners really makes a lot of billions from advertisements. You have to understand that they want to tax the owners operators and not the users, even if they tax them facebook will still be a free site, so i don’t understand why people are so upset about it. Since they are the ones who will benefit from these tax collections.


    • Pag nagbayad ng tax ang Facebook, hindi na rin free ang facebook, lalagyan na nila yan ng payment inbox, hindi na maka create ng account free, meron man free pero limited like other site na pag di ka nagbabayad ay hindi mo mababasa ang comment kung hindi bayad. Ganyan ang mngyayari.


  20. “The BIR has a target collection of Php1.46 Trillion for the year 2014…” Nga nga naman ang mga buayang lupa nito…


  21. check the article tag guys before you believe it.


  22. If Philippine companies advertise, shouldn’t they be witholding tax already before they pay vendor? I think this should be the case. The problem with BIR at times is they say that they had been tracking for X number of years but why are they just going after this people now?

    Also isn’t this some kind of ploy to block facebook since netizens use this as an avenue to show their issues? There are billions of websites that make money off Filipinos but why are they just targeting two. And if ever they do block every website there is, what the use of having the internet.

    BIR IS JUST PLAIN STUPID!


    • Correct, kaya ng may internet provider kasi sa internet provider sila nagbabayad, so ang lahat ng provider ang dapat magbayad ng tax which is always paying their taxes naman. Kahit naman ako ang may ari ng Facebook, bait ako mgbabayad ng tax sa BIR kung bayad ako sa provider??? NGA NGA


  23. well kung totoo man ito ay dapat gamitin na natin ang internet censorship circumvention tools!


  24. hahaha. daming just plain stupid pala dito… basa basa muna ng buo pag may time… XD


  25. haha…., pag ako naka blog at may income sa ads, i block din kaya ako ng ibang bansa?


  26. haha !! april fools .. im one of the victim !! xd!!lolz!!


  27. Why is this government focusing on tax collection rather than focusing to change this country to be a better place? officials are all the same they don’t love our country instead they love money.


    • I AGREE. Our government only loves money that’s why they are into politics. Good speech to promise people.. After that, wala na. You just use your position and power for money and you don’t give a damn what is happening to our country. You only focus on money and revenge.


  28. Some people should read the fine print.

    Well played YugaTech, well played. :)


  29. Mga buwaya talaga….NGA NGA na lang mga people!


  30. Mga punyatera -_- Puro sila huthot ng pera lahat nalang ng bagay lalagyan ng tax tas sa bulsa lang nila mappunta ! Mga palusot nilang pang hikayat luma na . dati wala akong pakelam sa mga tax2 na yan pero masyado ng obvious kalokohan nila
    .
    .
    Itumba -__-


  31. HAHAHAHAHA… APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!! ayos din ang BIR…


  32. GAGO MATINDI TONG COMMISIONER NA TO AH. BLOCK MO RIN SIKAT NG AEAW!


  33. KALA MO DI GUMAGAMIT NG FACEBOOK TONG KUMAG NA TO
    HOY JAN KA MAGALING…


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