RMO No. 04-2010 — Implements the 2010 Public Assistance and Awareness Campaign (PAAC) strategies and activities Digest | Full Text

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE January 18, 2010 REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 4-2010 SUBJECT: 2010 Public Assistance and Awareness Campaign (PAAC) Strategies and Activities TO: All Internal Revenue Officers and Others Concerned I. BACKGROUND The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shall implement a year-round Public Assistance and Awareness Campaign (PAAC) that shall be highly visible and directed towards attaining maximum coverage. The thrust of the PAAC shall include the "Making the Public Know" prescribed in Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 3-2010. II. POLICIES The following are the policies to govern the PAAC: 1. The National Office shall be the lead office in prescribing the strategies and activities to be implemented by the operating units, including the Regional and Revenue District Offices and the Large Taxpayers Service. The National Office shall also initiate activities that shall have BIR-wide application. The Assistant Commissioner, Taxpayer Assistance Service (TAS) shall formulate a communication plan for the PAAC and shall manage its implementation; 2. The major activities in the PAAC shall be undertaken during the income tax filing period from January to April 2010. Other activities shall also be undertaken for the rest of the year; 3. The performance of the concerned office in the PAAC shall be included in the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) evaluation system; 4. The National, Regional, and District Offices shall be involved in the year-round PAAC to promote taxpayer consciousness of their tax obligations and rights and their awareness of the various tax administration programs and activities of the BIR. III. MAJOR ACTIVITIES FOR THE PAAC A. The concerned National Office units shall perform the following activities: 1. Prepare, procure and disseminate the necessary information materials and content for the activities in the PAAC; 2. Allocate and release the required tax campaign funds to the National, Regional, and District Offices;

3. Coordinate with the publishers of national or local newspapers/publications for allotment of space in their publication for a regular BIR tax column and an income tax deadline countdown; 4. Arrange for regular interviews and appearances of BIR Officials in radio and television programs; and 5. Arrange the details and mechanics for special events including, but not limited to, the launching of the 2010 Income Tax Filing Campaign; the 2010 Handang Maglingkod Project; Photo Competition on PAAC activities during the income tax filing period; Tax Compliance Issues Compilation and Dissemination; Revenue District Office e-Lounge establishment; launching of e-Complaint and Taxpayer Satisfaction Survey System; Memorandum of Agreement signing with various organizations; Top Taxpayers Awards; distribution of Newsletters to taxpayers; creation of pool of BIR Speakers; use of electronic billboards for tax information; lectures to graduating students; and holding of photo exhibits and audio-visual presentations in the lobby area of BIR offices . B. All Regional Offices (including the Large Taxpayers Service) shall perform the following activities: 1. Organize tax seminars, dialogues and symposia in their respective jurisdictions; 2. Enlist participation in the PAAC of civic, business and professional organizations, and other government offices, including LGUs; 3. Coordinate with local newspaper publishers and broadcast (radio and television) companies to feature PAAC materials; 4. Distribute and/or display information materials such as streamers, posters, stickers, primers, mailers, leaflets and tax returns; and 5. Conduct similar activities listed in Section A.5 above. C. All Revenue District Offices shall perform the following activities: 1. Conduct similar activities listed in Section B above; 2. Set-up tax filing centers/clinics in strategic locations, including city and municipal halls and public places, within their respective jurisdictions during the income tax filing period; 3. Assign at least one (1) BIR personnel in every Authorized Agent Bank (AAB) to help in addressing taxpayer queries and problems during the peak days during the income tax filing period; 4. Ensure that the office of the collection agents and all designated filing centers shall be open on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. starting March 15 up to April 15, 2010 to receive tax returns and validate payments of taxpayers; 5. Instruct personnel that during the income tax filing season, there shall be no noon break in the filing centers. For this purpose, employees shall be rotated appropriately to ensure continuous service. Taxpayers who are already in the premises before or at around 5:00 p.m. shall be served until they have completed the filing process; 6. Coordinate with BIR AABs located within their respective jurisdictions to open on all four (4) Saturdays before the tax deadline starting March 20, 2010 to receive tax returns and validate payments of taxpayers; 2

7. Ensure the availability and sufficiency of tax returns not only in the revenue district's Taxpayer Service Areas (TSAs) but also in all designated filing centers and BIR Authorized Agent Banks; and 8. Coordinate with heads of government offices and big corporations located within their respective jurisdictions to designate liaison officers who will file returns of employees not covered by the "substituted filing scheme" and where deemed necessary, to allow their employees to leave their respective offices during office hours to file their returns and pay taxes (early). IV. SUBMISSION OF REPORTS Reports for the PAAC shall be submitted to the National Office by the Revenue District Officers through their respective Regional Directors following the guidelines that will be prescribed in a separate Memorandum. VI. REPEALING CLAUSE: The provisions of existing Revenue Memorandum Orders and other issuances inconsistent with the foregoing are hereby revoked or modified accordingly. V. EFFECTIVITY This Order shall take effect immediately. (Original Signed) JOEL L. TAN-TORRES Commissioner of Internal Revenue H-2 3