Taxes on gov’t perks appealed

Government workers under the group COURAGE has filed a motion for reconsideration on a Supreme Court ruling that upheld a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) memorandum on taxable government perks.

The BIR memo maintained that allowances, bonuses and other benefits given to government employees are subject to tax.

“All income received by an employee from his/her employer is presumptively taxable and subject to withholding,” the court ruled.

The employees said the BIR memorandum widens the scope of taxable fringe benefits which the employees said were not allowed under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.