BIR makes it easier to get back excess VAT payments. Here's how

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has substantially cut down the number of documents needed for taxpayers to recoup excess value-added tax (VAT) payments.

BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay discarded the old VAT refund schedule after many business-claimants complained about difficulties in securing the voluminous papers that must be submitted before their claim is approved due to COVID-19.

Under the new Revenue Memorandum Order No. 47-2021, claimants are no longer required to submit photocopies of sale invoices and receipts for purchases of goods and services.

Instead, they are only required to show the original copies of the said documents, together with the scanned copies stored in the memory device.

Likewise, the certification, or notification of several other documents are also waived.

Previously, claimants are required to submit at least 55 types of documents. The number is reduced to only 35 by the new Memorandum.