Philippine tax revenues rise 5.6 per cent through September
Gross collections reached ₱2.47 trillion, while September revenue increased 10.9 per cent from a year earlier.
Philippine tax authorities collected gross revenues totalling ₱2.47 trillion by the end of September, according to preliminary Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) figures dated October 13. That was ₱130.37 billion, or 5.6 per cent, above the previous year’s corresponding figure of ₱2.33 trillion.
The bureau recorded ₱203.58 billion for September, representing growth of 10.9 per cent against the year-earlier ₱183.53 billion. With its full-year target set at ₱3.39 trillion, the agency had three months remaining to meet that goal.
Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza linked September’s increase to assistance for taxpayers and efforts to encourage voluntary compliance across regional offices, support units and the Large Taxpayers Service. He highlighted a taxpayer portal introduced through the DARES reform agenda, alongside nationwide CHAT activities providing help to businesses and communities.
In a separate regulatory change, the BIR authorised agreements to share senior citizen discount costs among pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers, distributors, wholesalers and wholesalers-retailers, following Department of Health guidelines.
Revenue Regulations 07-2026 revise the tax-deduction rules for these arrangements under Republic Act 9994, known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. That law provides senior citizens with a 20 per cent discount on qualifying goods and services exclusively for their use and enjoyment. Where businesses share the discount cost, each claimant’s deduction from gross income cannot exceed the share assigned to it in the agreement.
