House leader wants ‘one-strike policy’ for tax collectors who fail to meet targets

THE HOUSE Speaker on Sunday called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to remove tax collectors who fail to meet their revenue targets and replace them with more “competent individuals.”

“The one-strike policy is a key step towards achieving our revenue goals,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a statement on Sunday.

He said unmet collection goals compromise the government’s budget for agriculture, education, infrastructure, and health, among others.

“Taxes are the lifeblood of government in the implementation of pro-poor programs designed to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality,” he said.

Mr. Romualdez, the president’s first cousin, also said that the House will exercise its oversight function to “further promote transparency and accountability under the Marcos administration.”

In December 2021, the Bureau of Internal Revenue sent a demand letter to Mr. Marcos Jr. asking him to pay his family’s estate tax dues worth about P203 billion, including the principal amount and interests. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz