The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to investigate tax compliance of social media influencers to ensure proper tax payments.
BIR legal officer Atty. Ron Mikhail Uy confirmed that a special task force has been formed to assess the tax liabilities of vloggers and social media influencers.
The move follows inquiries from Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop during a Tri-Comm hearing last Friday, where he asked BIR officials for data on social media content creators who are being taxed and the amount they have paid.
Acop noted that the panel had provided the BIR with a list of 27 social media personalities for tax verification.
Uy acknowledged the challenges in tracking these taxpayers, as many influencers are not registered as businesses and share similar names with other individuals in the tax system. “We have investigated their accounts and most of them are registered indeed. But considering that they use their… they are not a company, your honor. Some of the influencers, their names are similar to other taxpayers. One of them has been tagged for 17-18 names,” Uy explained.
Quezon Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez also urged social media platform representatives to confirm whether they pay taxes in the Philippines.
Lawmakers questioned influencers and content creators about their tax compliance, with former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles confirming that they fulfill their tax obligations.
One well-known influencer revealed that their earnings reach at least ₱5 million per day.