Given the “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon, Senator Francis Pangilinan called on Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to extend the deadline for the filing of income tax returns.

Pangilinan said that Section  53 of the Tax Code gives the BIR Commissioner, who is under the Department of Finance, the power to extend the period for filing returns in “meritorious cases.”

In effect, if the time period for filing will  be extended, Pangilinan said no penalty would be imposed as long as it can be filed within the extended period.

The senator said the request for at least a month-long or longer extension for the filing of income tax returns was due to the failure of accountants to report for work within the given situation.

He said the accountants will be the ones who will prepare the returns are not considered employees of essential nor vital industries who should report to work.

Furthermore, the finance and accounting documents of some taxpayers are in their respective offices which shut down operations due to the enhanced Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

“They would not have enough time to examine the documents from April 12, when the quarantine is lifted, and April 15, the deadline for the filing of tax returns,” also said Pangilinan./Stacy Ang