BIR tax exemption reform seen boosting low-income housing
By Derco Rosal
At A Glance
- Poor households are seen benefiting from the Bureau of Internal Revenue's (BIR) move to streamline developers' tax exemption applications for socialized and economic housing projects.
Poor households are expected to benefit from the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) move to streamline developers’ tax exemption applications for socialized and economic housing projects.
In a Dec. 22 statement, Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Frederick D. Go expressed his support for the country’s main tax collection agency, saying the measure will help “provide more affordable homes for low-income Filipino families.”
“I fully support the BIR in this effort, as it is my commitment to enhance the ease of doing business for our partners in development,” Go said.
According to the DOF, the BIR’s move, in collaboration with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to eliminate red tape and improve the ease of doing business.
Under the proposed joint memorandum circular (JMC) with the DHSUD and other government agencies, the BIR is expected to ensure efficient tax and fiscal processes in housing development to attract more developers to invest in socialized and economic housing projects.
In addition, the JMC will roll out the electronic housing one-stop processing center (eHOPC) platform to generate required documents and speed up application processing.
Applicants seeking a certificate of tax exemption (CTE) must submit a socialized housing certification from the DHSUD.
The BIR Deputy Commissioner for the legal group will be authorized to sign rulings and CTEs related to the tax incentives.