Fiscal authorities have gone down to the grassroots level in its tax collection drive to help the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) raise more funds and reduce the government’s huge budget deficit.

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves urged barangay officials nationwide to help the BIR collect more taxes by identifying unregistered businesses as well as professionals who do not pay correct taxes.

Teves was the guest speaker during a tax seminar in Valenzuela City that was arranged by Revenue Region No. 5 Director Jaime Santiago and Valenzuela Revenue District Officer Art Aquino for barangay chairmen and other officials based in the city and those in Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan, and Bulacan.

The finance chief will also hold similar fora with barangay officials nationwide in the coming months to enhance the collection performance of the BIR, which is aiming to raise P798 billion this year and which incurred a deficit of some P376 billion during the first seven months of the year.

In the same forum, Teves announced the appointment by President Arroyo of Joel Tan-Torres as senior deputy commissioner of the BIR to help the agency in mapping out a new tax collection strategy.

A certified public accountant, Tan-Torres is a tax expert and a career revenue official for 16 years before he became BIR assistant commissioner for management and planning.

He later resigned and joined the prestigious accounting firm Sycip, Gorres and Velayo in 1996.

Together with tax practitioner Vic Mamalateo, Tan-Torres and BIR Commissioner Sixto Esquivias IV used to be technical assistants of then BIR Deputy Commissioner Tomas C. Toledo.

Teves extolled the barangay officials to help the BIR collect taxes, as he pointed out that local government units benefit from the tax take in the form of internal revenue allotments (IRAs).

Teves would not say whether his provincial sorties were a prelude to the call of some sectors for him to run for a Senate seat in next year's national election.

"I am not thinking about it for the moment as I am focusing my attention on my job to help solve the country's economic woes caused mainly by the worldwide financial crisis," Teves said in an answer to a query during an open forum.

However, he told his audience in jest to remember "Gary T" and not "Gary V" come election time.