BIR Intensifies Tax Campaign Targeting MSMEs in Southern Pampanga
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has launched a focused tax collection campaign directed at Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the southern portion of Pampanga. The agency emphasizes that approximately 90 percent of MSMEs in this region are registered taxpayers, highlighting their significant economic activities and critical role in enhancing overall revenue collection efforts.
CHAT Campaign and People-Centered Approach
Revenue District Office 21B Chief Marinelia German detailed the agency's strategy, which includes the CHAT (Counsel-Help-Assist-Taxpayers) campaign. This initiative involves personal tax mapping of businesses and virtual monitoring by staff in an information drive aimed at making the taxation system more transparent, accessible, and accountable. The BIR is shifting towards a people-centered approach, focusing on MSMEs by ensuring essential tax compliance and educating business owners about their obligations.
Addressing Past Challenges and Corruption Scandals
Saripoden Bantog, Regional Director of BIR Revenue Region 4, acknowledged that the agency faces a major challenge in its tax campaign due to past corruption scandals that have affected taxpayer confidence. He confirmed that the construction industry, including the supply sector, was impacted by previous flood control anomalies. Additionally, Bantog noted that the BIR received information about alleged involvement of some former Chinese POGO operators in illegal cigarette manufacturing.
Expanded Efforts Against Illicit Cigarette Trade
As part of the intensified tax campaign this February, the BIR is expanding information against the sale of illicit cigarettes, particularly at the retailer level. Vendors will be held accountable if found selling counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes. Following tax mapping campaigns, the agency is conducting more thorough inspections of warehouses in Central Luzon to combat tax evasion and illegal cigarette trade.
Revenue Goals and Campaign Launch
The BIR launched its tax awareness campaign on Monday, February 23. BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza reported that collections in January this year reached approximately P358 billion, a slight increase from the P355.1 billion recorded in the same month in 2025. This represents about 10 percent of the agency's P3.58 trillion revenue goal for 2026.
Mendoza explained, "By bringing previously unregistered activities into the formal economy and ensuring the issuance of sales invoices, we expect to capture a larger share of economic activity that previously went untaxed. This campaign will improve collections because once taxpayers become compliant, especially those with previously unregistered activities, they are brought into the tax base. The current strategy is designed to make compliance easier for honest taxpayers while making violations more difficult through a combination of digital coordination and accountable enforcement."
