Lacson Bill Gives Tax, Customs Collectors Incentives to Do Job

In a bid to give tax and Customs collectors an added incentive to meet their collection goals, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson has filed a bill exempting them from the Salary Standardization Law.

Lacson, in filing Senate Bill 3049, said the added incentives for meeting a collection goal should also minimize the chances for graft and corruption.

"There have been clamors that the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs be removed from its coverage since these two agencies perform vital functions relative to the revenue raising powers of the government. It is envisioned that with the enactment of this measure, graft and corruption would be minimized, if not totally eliminated.  Moreover, said move would be an added impetus for them to perform their duties properly, and hopefully meet their respective target collections," he said in his bill.

Lacson noted that under a standardized system where salaries are fixed, the temptation is great for tax and Customs collectors to engage in corruption.

Besides, he said Congress has exempted from the coverage of the Salary Standardization Law some government financial institutions (GFIs).

These include the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS),  Social Security System (SSS), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), Corporate BCDA, and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Under the bill, the BIR and BOC are exempted from the coverage of Republic Act No. 6758, which prescribes a revised compensation and position classification system in government.

The Finance Secretary will issue the implementing rules and regulations in consultation with the BIR and BOC Commissioners not later than 90 days after the approval of the bill.