I don’t know about everyone else, but as far as I’m concerned it ain’t over till it’s over. And, no Mr./Ms. Commenter, Noynoy’s victory is not yet a certainty. It is just one of many possibilities.

Speaking of the Aquino campaign, I’m really wondering what his supporters expect from him in case he does bcome our President. As far those people in his inner circle, well, that should be obvious. They’re in it for the juicy government portfolios and other perks. How about the ordinary folks who profess to love him like he was some kind of messiah? It seems to me they’re in it for the fantasy. A better Philippines under an Aquino administration? That makes the Lord of the Rings more real to me.

incidentally, I was at one of the BIR offices last week and I got to talk to one of the examiners there. Out of the blue he mentioned that he and most of his co-workers are for Aquino. I asked why. He gave me a cryptic response.

“Basta,” he said.

I wondered about that piece of information. I tried to imagine what possible reason a BIR examiner could possibly have to support Noynoy who has been playing the role of an anti-corruption crusader. Hmmm. BIR personnel supporting a candidate who claims he will put a stop to government corruption… it just doesn’t match up. Is the end of the world upon us?

I reflected on his cryptic response. After about 10 seconds of deep thought, it came to me. I realized what should have been obvious to me from the very start.

Those BIR personnel aren’t supporting Noynoy because of what he claim he can and will do to ensure corruption-free governance. They’re going for Noynoy because they know he will not be able to do anything to stop the shenanigans going on at this esteemed government agency. In short, they’re putting their faith on Noynoy’s incompetence.

I don’t know about you but I think this is a sign of things to come should the greater number of Filipino voters think it wise to put Noynoy at the helm of our already troubled nation.

Clearly, I am still all riled up because of Philippine Star columnist Cito Beltran’s recent piece about the BIR. In his column, Mr. Beltran described how brazen some tax collectors have become and how it seems corruption is tolerated and possibly even encouraged within the bureau. He noted that the system within the bureau has made it possible for our tax collectors to have their way with taxpayers and it wouldn’t matter as long as they are able to meet their quotas.

A number of commenters have criticized Mr. Beltran’s column. A few of them seem to hold the belief that taxpayers should just pay the right taxes and everything will just be peachy. I agree it could be argued that taxpayers are also to blame for all the graft and corruption going on in the BIR. It could be said that graft and corruption would not exist in the BIR if taxpayers just paid what is due to the government and refrained from offering bribes.

The reality is taxpayers are wired to do everything – including illegal means for some – to avoid paying too much in taxes. That is the taxpayer’s nature. The responsibility of ensuring that correct taxes are collected rests with the tax collectors. That is the job we are paying them to do after all. Unfortunately, many, if not all, BIR personnel are parasites.

Curiously, isn’t it strange that our lawmakers don’t seem to have any interest at all to investigate the shenanigans going on in the BIR? Not that we even need a congressional inquiry to uncover the problem. Our lawmakers need only acknowledge, admit and craft the necessary laws to address what they already know.

But, our lawmakers are busy with other things. Some of them may even be thinking about new taxes, which leads me to ask: Why does the national government always seem to be in need of more taxes? I am not an economist and my financial knowledge is limited to counting the very limited money I have in my wallet but I would like to venture a guess. My guess is it is because revenue targets are never met. And, why aren’t revenue targets met? The answer may be as simple as one-two-three.

It is a widely known fact that business owners are favorite targets of BIR people. It is also a known fact that a business owner would eventually end up facing a BIR personnel during the tax season. There’s just no escaping this under the present system.

Negotiations occur during these face-offs. It usually starts out with the BIR personnel informing the business owner that his or her taxes are a certain amount, usually, one that the business owner would find too big. This prompts the business owner to haggle for a reduced amount. So what does the BIR personnel do? He or she offers directly or indirectly the option of paying a reduced amount in exchange for a “fee.” More negotiations ensue but all these eventually end with the business owner agreeing to the terms offered by the BIR personnel. The business owner pays the reduced amount and the BIR personnel collects his “fee.”

It should be noted that sometimes the initial tax amount quoted by the BIR personnel/official isn’t even correct. More often than not it is higher than what is really due. This is the BIR personnel’s strategy to get the business owner to enter into negotiations. As I said it is just one-two-three as in “na-wantutri” or “naloko” in the vernacular.

So what happens when the national government finds that its revenues have fallen short? It calls for more taxes. Unfortunately, imposing more taxes will never fill in the gaps. It will just provide the tax collector the opportunity to carry out his or her evil deeds. The classic theory is that more taxes mean more and better government services. The fact is more taxes just mean more money for the corrupt tax collector.

“Participants in a recent tax forum expressed shock when a top official of the BIR casually said that as far as they are concerned, they are willing to turn a blind eye to whatever means BIR agents use as long as the agency meets their revenue targets or collection quotas. In response to the pressure and the desperation to hit targets, the BIR has foregone restraint and accountability among the good and the bad within its ranks.”

“The corrupt are now asking for an average of P350,000 not to do their job and after a couple of weeks, the reported average rate of accepted bribe is P200,000. There are no distinctions made between feast and famine and if the “agent” gets transferred, the thieves have a referral system.”

I was going to share some of my own thoughts about the shenanigans going on in the BIR but I can’t at the moment as I am overcome with indignation. In the meantime, read the full text of Mr. Beltran’s column here.