Tax them

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has gone berserk in its tax campaign. It has a reason to.

Now it has picked on doctors and compared them with teachers. Why it has picked on these two noble professions only BIR chief Kim Henares knows.

There is no argument that taxes are the lifeblood of government.

And the power of government as an agency of the state to taxation is not assailable. In fact, it is one of the fundamental powers of the state,  along with police power and power of imminent domain.

Without delving on the merits of the doctors, teachers comparison, the tax shame campaign uses powerful symbolism.

The doctors represent high earning professionals and teachers represent the lowly paid fix-waged professionals whose salaries are levied taxes before payout.

Of course doctors will be outraged with BIR for picking on their profession. But after crying foul, doctors should assail the figures presented by the BIR or pay up what is due them.

They should assail the figures of the BIR that say that in Cebu, 1,467 or more than half of the 2,825 registered doctors declared tax liabilities lower than teachers. Otherwise, the logical conclusion suggested by the BIR – that many doctors are tax cheats – stands.

Arguing that many do not pay correct taxes because of too many hands dipping in the government’s cookie jar and big business not taxed correctly is untenable. It is calling the red herring to the argument. And doctors are too smart and well educated not to know that basic logic taught in philosophy classes in college.

It is hoped that with the aggressive move of the BIR, the bottom line of government financial statements should show dramatic increase. It is also hoped that aside from using doctors and teachers as  symbols of its tax campaign, strict implementation of taxation should be spread evenly across all professions –  lawyers, engineers, professional entertainers and athletes, business executives, etc.

At the other side of the equation, BIR and perhaps Congress should start reviewing the income tax scheme which seems to penalize hard work of fix-waged earners.