MANILA –– Incoming Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) commissioner Lilia Guillermo is eyeing lifestyle checks on social media influencers and professionals as the government tries to raise collections amid the country's ballooning debt.

Guillermo urged professionals and influencers to register, issue receipts and pay proper taxes.

"Marami rin nakikitang citizens ang tataas ng lifestyle nila, yet kung compare mo taxes na binabayaran nila, ma-question mo rin: bakit ang dami mo properties? Display mo pa nga."

(A lot of citizens are seen with high lifestyles, but if you compare that to the taxes they pay, it makes you question: Why do you have so many properties? And they are even on display.)

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She said she will use her experiences as a statistician and IT professional as well as her work at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to further improve tax collection.

The incoming tax chief said she also wants to initiate not just a digital transformation, but a moral transformation as well at the BIR, which is usually perceived to be one of the most corrupt in government.

Guillermo also plans to continue with the lifestyle check among the ranks of the BIR.

The BIR faces a huge task of raising revenue collections as the country's debt hit an all-time high of P12.76 trillion in April.

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But Guillermo also said there was no need to add new taxes if tax collection could be improved.

She added that one way to do this is through digitalization and expanding the online services of the BIR. This will also minimize transactions between taxpayers and BIR employees.

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"Make it easy for taxpayers to comply na madali sila magrerehistro, madali sila kukuha ng mga resibo, madali sila mag-pay ng taxes. So that in that case, it will be easy for them to comply. Papasok voluntary ang tax collection," she asserted.

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