BIR to collect P360 billion in excise taxes in 2026

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is looking to increase excise tax collections by 9% in 2026, mainly driven by tobacco products.

In the 2026 Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF), the government is set to collect P359.65 billion in excise taxes in selected goods, 9.35% higher than P328.9 billion for this year.

The bulk or P166.57 billion in excise taxes will be collected from tobacco products, even as the government sees significant losses due to illicit trade.

The BIR expects to collect P132.07 billion in excise taxes from alcohol products, and P42.09 billion from sugar-sweetened beverages.

It is also targeting to collect excise taxes from mining (P11.85 billion) and automobiles (P6.54 billion).

Notably, the government took out the projected revenue from the proposed tax on single-use plastics, as the measure has yet to be approved by Congress.

The Philippines is bleeding $2 billion (P114 billion) in lost revenues due to the proliferation of illicit tobacco trade in the country, a consultancy firm said at a forum last week.

BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui, Jr. earlier said the government loses billions of revenues due to illicit tobacco trade coupled with Health department’s campaign to discourage tobacco use.

Mr. Lumagui also said illicit tobacco manufacturers are using economic zones to avoid paying excise taxes even though the products are sold in the Philippines.

“If it’s meant for export and not for local consumption, there’s no excise tax. It’s being manufactured here in the ecozones. That’s what they’re trying to show — that the license they’re getting is for exporting all these products,” he told reporters during a tobacco forum on Aug. 5.

In the first half, excise taxes on tobacco went up 34.16% to P58.97 billion in the January-to-June period, after several months of continued contraction. — ARAI