DAGUPAN CITY – Revenue Region No. 1 based in Calasiao town registered the highest percentage in collection over all other regions of the country based on its collection of taxes from January to September this year.

Bureau of Internal Revenue Regional Director Alfredo Balicanta, Jr. said Region I chalked up the highest percentage rate of increase in collection at 50.12 per cent over and above its target goal for the period of P3.366 billion.

Speaking during the Kapihan Forum hosted by the Pangasinan Tri Media Association at the Philippine Information Agency office here, Balicanta said all the six revenue district offices of the BIR collected a combined total of P5.054 billion from January to September this year.

The collection for the first nine months of the year, he said, was higher by P1.240 million or 79.64 percent over its last year’s collection of P1.813 billion.

Tagged by Balicanta as having the highest collection performance for the nine-month period is Revenue District No. 5 in Alaminos City with P2.302 billion, followed by Revenue District No. 4 in Calasiao at P740.06 million. Revenue District No. 4 in San Fernando City, P600.8 million, and Revenue District No. 3 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, P506.2 million.

Revenue District No. 6 in Urdaneta City has P502.5 million collection, followed by Revenue District No. 1 in Laoag City, P401.7 million.

Balicanta said Revenue District No. 5 in Alaminos City topped in collection over five other revenue districts in the Ilocos region because of the Sual-Coal Fired Power Plant owned by Mirant Philippines which paid P800 million in taxes for the first nine months of the year.

However, the power plant of Mirant Philippines, located in barangay Pangascasan, Sual, is up for sale. The plant produces some 1,000 megawatts of power for the Luzon grid.

Asked why Revenue District No. 6 in Urdaneta, which covers the San Roque Power Corporation, is not among the top revenue collecting districts. Balicanta said, the latter company used to be the top source of revenue in the province of Pangasinan when it was still under construction by numerous international contractors that paid their respective taxes.

He said the collection is expected to increase furthermore for the months of October till December because this is the peak months for businesses in the country being the holiday season.

It appears that big projects of the government under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme are big sources of revenues for the national coffer.

At the same time, BIR Assistant Regional Director Romeo Buan tagged Mirant Philippines as the highest tax payer in the province of Pangasinan, followed by the San Roque Power Corporation, the Dagupan Electric Corporation, and some electric cooperatives and businesses, among others.

Beverly Milo, chief of the assessment division of the BIR Regional Office, said the increase in value added taxes caused the increased tax collections for the whole region. (PNA)