Subject: WEEKLY TAX UPDATES [DEC 12] Average salary by age in the Philippines: What the numbers and experts say

WEEKLY TAX UPDATES

DECEMBER 12

  1. TAX & BUSINESS-RELATED NEWS [DECEMBER 7-11]

  2. BIR FURTHER CLARIFIES THE COVERAGE OF THE AUDIT SUSPENSION UNDER RMC NO. 107-2025

  3. BIR RULINGS ON RECONVEYANCE OF PROPERTY & AUTHORITY TO PRINT INVOICES

1. TAX & BUSINESS-RELATED NEWS [DECEMBER 7-11]

1. Senators sound alarm over BIR’s ‘empty’ taxpayers’ monitoring system

2. IBP Cebu condemns ambush-slay of BIR lawyer

3. BIR files admin case vs. 2 employees over alleged direct bribery, LOA misuse

4. SEC caps at 6% monthly interest rate on loans up to P10,000

5. New RE player eyes P190-B offshore wind in Camarines Sur

6. Government workers to get 5-day wellness leave

7. Eastern Visayas workers get higher pay with new wage order

8. Go OKs estate tax amnesty extension to 2028

9. Largest labor coalition calls for Recto's resignation, says govt in dangerous hands

10. PICPA names SMIC Chairman Emeritus Jose Sio an honorary life member

11. VTI holds stockholders meet, announces SC ruling on former director

12. Moody’s: SE Asia floods have little impact on reinsurers

13. Baguio Ibaloys may bring 'unjust displacement' to international court

14. TIEZA taps GCash to ease refund of travel tax

15. TIEZA mulls travel tax exemption for travel bloggers

16. Average salary by age in the Philippines: What the numbers and experts say

17. SEC introduces online ticket system for instant status updates

18. First Gen fuels Mindanao hospital’s 100 percent shift to renewable energy

19. Exporters warn of industry closures, seek more government funding

20. Marcos orders further expansion of West Cebu ecozone

DISCLAIMER!

We saw these tax and business-related news on various news sites, and we thought you should see them. DMD is not responsible for the content of these news, and anything written thereon does not necessarily reflect DMD views or opinions.

Senators sound alarm over BIR’s ‘empty’ taxpayers’ monitoring system [Inquirer.Net, December 11, 2025]

Reports that the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) repository of taxpayers’ information is empty worry two senators, prompting them to have the matter investigated by the agency.

 

IBP Cebu condemns ambush-slay of BIR lawyer [Cebu Daily News, December 11, 2025]

Lincuna, also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), is the 16th lawyer in Cebu who has been killed since 2004, based on a tally by the Inquirer.

 

BIR files admin case vs. 2 employees over alleged direct bribery, LOA misuse [GMA News Online, December 2, 2025]

The BIR employees were nabbed after they were caught receiving the cash envelope during the agreed date. They were immediately brought to Taguig City's Prosecutor's Office for inquest proceedings for alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 0319 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

 

SEC caps at 6% monthly interest rate on loans up to P10,000 [Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 11, 2025]

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued an order capping at 6 percent per month or 0.2 percent day the nominal interest rate that financing and lending companies can charge on loans worth P10,000 and below.

 

New RE player eyes P190-B offshore wind in Camarines Sur [BusinessWorld, December 11, 2025]

RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) developer ACX3 Capital Holdings, Inc. is proposing to build a 500-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm in San Miguel Bay, Camarines Sur, in Bicol Region, with an estimated cost of P189.5 billion.

 

Government workers to get 5-day wellness leave [The Philippine Star, December 10, 2025]

Under CSC Resolution No. 2501292, employees can take a WL for up to three days at a time or on separate non-consecutive days.

 

Eastern Visayas workers get higher pay with new wage order [Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 10, 2025]

More than 164,000 minimum wage earners in Eastern Visayas are receiving higher daily pay starting this week, as the new wage orders for private sector workers officially started taking effect, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) announced.

 

Go OKs estate tax amnesty extension to 2028 [Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 9, 2025]

Go’s green light follows the Committee on Ways and Means’ approval on Nov. 26 of the consolidated measure to extend the amnesty for estates of descendants beyond the original Dec. 31, 2024, cutoff.

 

Largest labor coalition calls for Recto's resignation, says govt in dangerous hands [The Manila Times, December 9, 2025]

The country's biggest labor coalition has demanded the resignation of Executive Secretary Ralph Recto for his refusal to show accountability in the unconstitutional transfer of P60 billion in PhilHealth reserved funds to the National Treasury.

 

PICPA names SMIC Chairman Emeritus Jose Sio an honorary life member [BusinessWorld, December 9, 2025]

THE Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), the accredited professional organization of certified public accountants (CPAs), has conferred Honorary Life Member status on SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) Chairman Emeritus Jose T. Sio for his contributions to the accountancy profession.

 

VTI holds stockholders meet, announces SC ruling on former director [The Manila Times, December 9, 2025]

VALLACAR Transit Inc. (VTI), the Philippines’ largest public transport operator, held its annual stockholders meeting on Dec. 6, 2025, where it reported solid operational gains for 2025, elected its 2026 board of directors and corporate officers, and announced a recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling.

 

Moody’s: SE Asia floods have little impact on reinsurers [Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 9, 2025]

Reinsurance refers to the protection that insurance companies can buy to insulate themselves from too much losses. Natural disasters have been driving reinsurance prices higher as insurers adjust to the increased risk.

 

Baguio Ibaloys may bring 'unjust displacement' to international court [Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 9, 2025]

Ibaloy activist Joanna Cariño said her family may follow the footsteps of their patriarch Mateo Cariño and bring their case before an international tribunal because the government has not recognized their ancestral properties in spite of the 1909 ruling affirming that indigenous Filipinos have private rights to their ancestral lands.


TIEZA taps GCash to ease refund of travel tax [GMA News Online, December 9, 2025]

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) signed Tuesday an agreement with mobile wallet GCash to ease the refund process of travel tax payments of those exempted from paying the levy on travelers leaving the Philippines.

 

TIEZA mulls travel tax exemption for travel bloggers [GMA News Online, December 9, 2025]

Under current rules, those exempted from paying the P1,620 for economy class and P2,700 for first class travel tax, include overseas Filipino workers, Filipino permanent residents abroad whose stay in the Philippines is less than one year, and infants (two years old and below).

 

Average salary by age in the Philippines: What the numbers and experts say [The Philippine Star, December 8, 2025]

It’s worth noting that salary figures can be difficult to pinpoint, as they often vary depending on the industry, job level, and other factors. However, general trends can still offer useful insight into how income may progress with age.

 

SEC introduces online ticket system for instant status updates [BusinessWorld, December 8, 2025]

THE SECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) has rolled out an upgraded online ticketing system, iMessage, that centralizes services and allows users to track inquiries and complaints in real time.

 

First Gen fuels Mindanao hospital’s 100 percent shift to renewable energy [The Philippine Star, December 8, 2025]

Lopez-led First Gen Corp. is set to power Capitol University Medical Center (CUMC) in Cagayan de Oro, making it the first hospital in Mindanao to operate entirely on renewable energy (RE).

 

Exporters warn of industry closures, seek more government funding [BusinessWorld, December 7, 2025]

THE PHILIPPINE Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) said urgent government intervention is needed as more of its members shut down, citing the absence of financing.

 

Marcos orders further expansion of West Cebu ecozone [Inquirer.Net, December 7, 2025]

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the further expansion of the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP), a Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza)-registered special economic zone in Balamban town, Cebu province, to 600 hectares.

2. BIR FURTHER CLARIFIES THE COVERAGE OF THE AUDIT SUSPENSION UNDER RMC NO. 107-2025

Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 109-2025, issued on December 12, 2025, further clarifies the coverage of the audit suspension under RMC No. 107-2025.

 

Specifically, the BIR clarifies affected taxpayers, specific audit actions and activities suspended, cases that are not covered by the suspension, and other administrative provisions.

 

It may be recalled that pursuant to RMC No. 107-2025, issued on November 24, 2025, the BIR ordered the suspension of all audit and other field operations nationwide until lifted by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

3. BIR RULINGS

[TRANSACTION NOT CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT OR SUBJECT TO A DIFFERENT TAX TREATMENT IS CONSIDERED TAXABLE NOTWITHSTANDING ITS LACK OF CONSIDERATION] [RECONVEYANCE BY ENTITY ENGAGED IN REAL ESTATE BUSINESS CONSTITUTES A TAXABLE TRANSFER OF ORDINARY ASSET SUBJECT TO INCOME TAX & VAT]

C Co. is requesting a confirmatory ruling on whether the reconveyance of a parcel of land without consideration is exempt from Creditable Withholding Tax (CWT) and Documentary Stamp Tax (DST). As represented, Spouses M & C and C Co. entered into a Deed of Sale, where a 2,625 square meter (sqm.) parcel of land was sold. It was subsequently discovered that 56.98 sqm. portion of the property was affected by the overlapping of the structures of the adjacent lot (excluded area). Consequently, C Co. deducted from the total purchase price the amount equivalent to this area, and the affected portion was then segregated and returned to the Spouses M & C without any consideration. In reply, the term “transfer” is not specially defined in the Tax Code and must therefore be taken in its plain meaning. Moreover, since the transaction is not expressly exempt under the Tax Code or any special law, it is considered taxable notwithstanding its lack of consideration. C Co., as the statutory taxpayer and a real estate enterprise, is considered to have transferred an ordinary asset, making the reconveyance subject to Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and Value-Added Tax (VAT) under Sections 27(A) and 105 to 106 of the Tax Code. The property owners are likewise subject to the withholding tax rules under Section 2.57.2(F) of Revenue Regulation (RR) No. 2-98, and the transaction is also liable for DST under Section 196 as a disposition of real property. [BIR RULING NO. OT 016-2025, JANUARY 7, 2025]


[IN THE APPLICATION OF AN ATP, THE RDO HAVING JURISDICTION OVER THE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT SHALL VERIFY THE TAXPAYER'S EXISTENCE IN THE REGISTRATION DATABASE] [AN ATP ISSUED AFTER COMPLIANCE WITH ALL REQUIREMENTS REMAINS VALID UNLESS THE ENTITY TO WHICH IT WAS ISSUED CEASES TO EXIST OR ITS REGISTRATION IS REVOKED] [A NEW ATP SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IF A REGISTERED TAXPAYER IS STILL EXISTING]

S Homeowners’ Association (SHO) is requesting an appeal on letters issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue District Office (RDO) No. 45-Marikina City, pertaining to the issuance of Authority to Print (ATP) and invalidation of official receipts printed pursuant to said ATP. Records show that SHO has three separate, validly registered homeowners’ associations covering different phases. SHO Phases 1 and 2 have consistently been issued ATPs since 2009, including one in September 2021. The issue arose from a complaint filed by CCC, which claimed authority over Phases 1–6 based on alleged amendments to the association’s by-laws; however, these amendments were previously declared invalid by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). In reply, Section 238 of the Tax Code and Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 83-99 provides that an ATP may be issued by the concerned RDO upon verification of the taxpayer’s valid registration and compliance with documentary requirements. Records show that SHO was validly issued an ATP, and the subsequent challenge to its validity is based on claims regarding HOA legitimacy and consolidation, which were rendered invalid by an HLURB decision dated September 15, 2017. An ATP remains valid unless the entity ceases to exist or its registration is lawfully revoked by the proper agency. Consistent with BIR Ruling No. 573-17, as long as SHO remains an existing and registered entity, no new or additional ATP may be issued; any changes should only be reflected through an update of registration. Thus, the ATP issued to SHO remains valid and existing until properly cancelled in accordance with the guidelines set by the BIR. [BIR RULING NO. OT-002-2025, JANUARY 6, 2025]


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