Return workers’ P5-B tax refund, BIR urged

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue - ducted from minimum- wage earners despite a ruling issued by a year ago.

Organized labor on Friday took million ordinary workers nationwide, insisting that a cash refund is long overdue, including the legal interest the collected money

“We cannot understand why the BIR and the DoF [Department of Finance] are quick to squeeze money from the workers but it takes forever for them to return those. Mahiyanamankayo [Have shame]! Those are workers’ blood money. Pin ag hi rap any ann gm ga mang gag aw a,ib ali kn an in yo [They worked hard for it, give it back to them]!” Alan Tanjusay, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines exemptions on their wage, bonus such as overtime pay, hazard pay, holiday pay and night-shift differential pay, including fringe including those who received their

But despite the ruling, the BIR continued to collect taxes on the basic wage, bonuses and other - mum-wage workers nationwide as the law exempted them from

The SC also directed the BIR to grant a refund or allow a refund through withheld tax adjustments or a claim for tax credits by those

“Some minimum-wage workers who were subjected to tax may have remained a minimum-wage earner up to this day but they cannot claim tax credit because they are exempted from income tax. Some may have been promoted and some may have been unemployed. Some have become OFWs [overseas Filipino workers]. Some are already deceased,” Tanjusay said, adding, “In fairness to the workers subjected by the regulation, the best option here is a cash refund.”

The Supreme Court ruling - makers, individuals and labor groups.