The tax amnesty expired last March 6. BIR assistant Commissioner for Collection Services Corazon C. Pancog said they collected the amount from 15,000 taxpayers.

It was previously announced that the BIR was targeting to collect up to P10 billion from the TAP. "We may collect higher than P4.2 billion because we’re still finalizing the numbers," said Pancog.

As a support program, in November and December last year, the BIR has released thousands of tax payment notices and the agency expects to collect at least R6 billion more.

The BIR is not recommending an extension of the tax amnesty program, at this point.

The amnesty did not include assessments against taxpayers, where the said assessments have become final and executory. Under TAP, taxpayers filed their Tax Amnesty Returns (TARs) and the required Statement of Asset, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) to qualify.

The amnesty tax is five percent of the taxpayers’ filed SALN.

The amnesty program took effect in June 2007, and covered all national internal revenue taxes like income tax, estate tax, donor’s tax and capital gains tax (CGT), VAT, other percentage taxes, excise taxes and documentary stamp taxes.

Not covered were withholding taxes, taxes passed-on and already collected from the customers for remittance to the BIR, as these taxes/funds are being considered as funds held in trust for the government. "Moreover, cases which have been covered by the compromise program or abatement program of the BIR can no longer avail of the program insofar as the tax subject of the compromise/abatement is concerned," the BIR said.

The period covered is taxable year 2005 and prior years for the said taxes, with or without assessments, and has remained unpaid as of December 31, 2005.