BIR IS HIRING 11K EMPLOYEE'S THIS YEAR TO BOOST TAX DRIVE

MANILA - The Bureau of Internal Revenue said Tuesday it was hiring as many as 11,000 employees this year to improve its tax collection efforts.

The BIR is also urging Congress to effectively lift salary caps by exempting the agency from the Salary Standardization Law, Commissioner Cesar Dulay said.

Dulay said the BIR's current 9,000 employees are handling the workload of 21,000 people.

Unattractive salaries make the BIR a "last option" for job seekers, said Jesus Clint Aranas from the agency's legal group. Entry-level accountants for example are paid only P14,000 in the agency, when they could be earning more elsewhere, he said.

Dulay said the BIR would likely hit its P1.829-trillion collection target this year, with revenues up 15 percent in November and 5 percent in December.

He said the BIR was "bullish" on collections this year.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez is "non-committal" on proposals to declare a tax amnesty.

SOURCE:ABS-CBN NEWS