ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Region 15 office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR-15) has posted a remarkable increase by about 16.66 percent in its revenue collections in the Zamboanga Peninsula for the first six months of the year, BIR-15 Director Rozil R. Lozares said Tuesday.

Lozares said BIR-15 has collected P1,360,794,053.87 during the first six months of this year as compared to the given target goal collection of only P1,166,486,000 for the same period.

Lozares said the amount collected also showed a 19.29 percent increase as compared to last year’s tax collections of only P1,140,719,916.54 covering the same period.

“The increase in tax collection in the entire region only shows that our tax collection units and agents are religiously doing their job as mandated,” Lozares told reporters during a conference at his office here.

Sarah Lacastesantos, BIR-15 collection division regional chief, said this is the first time in the history of BIR-15 to have surpassed the given target goal collection for the first six months of the year.

“This is the first time that we surpassed our given tax goal collection for six straight months of the year and it happened only when Lozares assumed as director for BIR-15,” she said.

When asked what was his directive to his revenue district officers in the region, Lozares simply said “I just told them, do what is right and don’t be afraid because I am always beside you to protect you from any sort of harassment coming from delinquent taxpayers and their cohorts.”

He also warned his seven revenue district officers in the region not to accept any form of “gift” from delinquent or regular taxpayers, for them to gain the needed respect from the taxpaying community in their locality.

Lozares said that the Revenue District Office (RDO) here led by Roberto Bucoy has posted the highest increase in collection with 12.94 percent to P668,803,939.13 for the first six months of this year as compared to the given target goal collection of only P592,164,000.00 covering the same period.