THE Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) collections rose in March despite increased economic pressures caused by the war in the Middle East.
Latest preliminary data showed the agency had netted P198.755 billion, up by 11.87 percent from P175.7 billion a year earlier
“Our March 2026 collection performance is encouraging, especially at this time of economic strain,” BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We at the BIR heed the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go to help ensure that the government has steady revenues to fund essential services and provide timely support, especially to those who need it most,” he added.
The tax take was tempered by significantly higher tax refunds totaling P11.368 billion, more than five times the level recorded in March 2025.
Net collections as a result were P187.387 billion, still 6.68 percent or P11.727 billion, higher year on year.
The BIR said the refunds would help taxpayers and businesses deal with the pressures of rising costs amid higher energy prices.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a one-month extension for the filing of income tax returns as another means of helping taxpayers deal with economic pressures.
The BIR will likely see a hit to collections as April, the 15th of which is the regular tax filing deadline, is usually its biggest month.
Prior to Marcos’ directive, the agency had set an April collection target of P499.104 billion.
The bureau has been tasked to collect P3.579 trillion this year and Mendoza said that anticipated economic growth would boost revenues from income, value-added and excise taxes.
Digitalization and monitoring initiatives to prevent leakages are also expected to help boost revenues.
The BIR collected a total of P3.105 trillion last year, exceeding the P3.101-trillion emerging collection target — an operational aim separate from the official goal of P3.232 trillion.
The result — still an improvement from 2024’s P2.83 trillion — was blamed on the suspension of audit operations late last year in the wake of corruption allegations.
