MANILA -- A tax expert is questioning the government's move to ask taxpayers to issue invoices instead of official receipts. 

Under the government's Ease of Paying Taxes Act, all taxpayers using manual official receipts will have to start issuing valid invoices. 

Those who have unused official receipts may convert these to invoices by striking out the words "official receipt," then stamping these documents with the word "invoice."

Those who fail to comply with this can face a severe fine or even imprisonment. 

The new rule took effect on April 27, but the deadline to report the inventory of unused receipts is set for May 27.

Asian Consulting Group's chief tax advisor Mon Abrea said the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) should address the public's concerns about the new rule.

"Maganda naman ang intensyon nito, ito ay nakapaloob sa bagong batas na tinatawag nating Ease of Paying Taxes, kung saan gagawing isa na lang--wala nang official receipt, wala nang invoice, kundi invoice na lang, wala nang pagkakaiba kung whether ang binenta mo ay goods or services," he explained.

"Kaya lang, nandito tayo sa tinatawag nating transition, kaya medyo may kaguluhan at medyo nawiwindang ang ating taxpayers."

(The intention is good--this is under the Ease of Paying Taxes Law, which only requires an invoice regardless of whether you sold goods or services. The old law differentiated between official receipts and invoices. But we are in the transition period, so I guess the public is still a bit confused.)

He also said he hopes the new rule will really simplify the taxpaying process.

"Sana gawing online, para hindi na mano-manong gawin ng ating mga kababayan kasi, yun ang ease of paying taxes," he said.  

(I hope they make it easy to file those taxes online, so our countrymen don't have to do it manually--that's ease of paying taxes."

He also said the BIR should clarify whether or not the new rule applies to businesses with sales of P3 million and below, since these are VAT-exempt.

--ANC, 27 May 2024