Commissioner Joel L. Tan-Torres of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) ordered Thursday regional directors and district officers to confiscate the properties of delinquent individual and corporate taxpayers if evidence warrants, even as the agency continues to launch more 2010 tax collection kick-off rites.

The BIR chief issued the tough policy during a conference with key filed officials to raise more funds and offset losses from the new tax eroding measures like the expanded senior citizens and the local water district laws as well as casualty losses from last year’s super typhoons.

"We have exceeded our collection target for the month of January by around P7 billion but the coming months would be very difficult because of several new tax eroding measures," said Tan-Torres after attending the Quezon City revenue region tax campaign rites at the Trinoma mall.

Tan-Torres together with top finance and Quezon city officials, Revenue Regional Director Antonio Montemayor and his nine district officers awarded plaque of appreciations to outstanding taxpayers in the region including those from San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Cainta, Marikina, Antipolo and other towns of Rizal province during the tax collection campaign rites.

Montemayor said special tax filing centers are being set up at various commercial centers, city and barangay halls and in banks to make it easier for taxpayers to submit their 2009 income tax returns.

Tan-Torres said extraordinary measures which were spraringly used before will now be applied like raids and seizure of properties through the issuance of warrants of destraint and levy (WDL) to enhance voluntary compliance and raise more funds.