Celebrity vloggers, socmed influencers pinagbabayad na ng tax ng BIR

Anne Curtis, Marian Rivera at Angel Locsin

BAGO pa nagkaroon ng COVID-19 pandemic ay maraming personalidad na ang gumagawa ng sarili nilang content para sa kanilang YouTube channel, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok at iba pang platforms.

Hanggang sa dumami na ang kanilang followers and eventually, pinasok na rin ng advertisements at tinawag na silang social media influencers na umabot na sa milyones ang subscribers at followers.

At dahil maraming nawalan ng trabaho sa panahon ng COVID-19 pandemic ay kahit ordinaryong tao ay ginamit na rin ang social media para pagkakitaan hanggang sa dumami na at kasama na rin sila ngayon sa top influencers sa bansa.

At dito na nasilip ng Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) na singilin ng tax ang lahat ng social media influencers na kumikita sa pamamagitan ng kanilang social media.

Base sa nakalagay na definition ng social media influencers, “The term ‘social media influencers’ referred to in this Circular includes all taxpayers, individuals or corporations, receiving income, in cash or in kind, from any social media sites and platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat, etc.) in exchange for services performed as bloggers, video bloggers or ‘vloggers’ or as an influencer, in general, and from any other activities performed on such social media sites and platforms.”

Base sa inilabas na Revenue Memorandum Circular No 97-2021 dated August 16, Subject, “Taxation of Any Income Received by Social Media Influencers ay pinapa-check na nito sa kanilang Revenue officers ang background, objective, Liability for Income Tax and Percentage or Value-Added Tax (Income Tax) at iba pa.”

Nagbabala rin ang BIR na kailangang magparehistro na ang mga nabanggit.

“The social media influencers are advised to ‘voluntary and truthfully’ declare their income and pay their corresponding taxes without waiting for a formal investigation to be conducted by the BIR to avoid being liable for tax evasion and for the civil penalty of fifty percent (50%) of the tax or of the deficiency tax.”

Anyway, mukhang maraming makokolektang buwis ang ahensya kapag napatupad na ito mula sa mga kilalang social media influencers sa iba’t ibang platform.

Ang may milyones na followers sa Facebook ay sina Marian Rivera (25.4M), Niana Guerrero (23.7M), Angel Locsin (23M), Anne Curtis (18.2M), at Sen. Manny Pacquiao (17.6M).

Pareho naman sina Vice Ganda at Anne Curtis ang may maraming followers sa Twitter na umabot sa 14.1M, Kathryn Bernardo, 10.5M, Maine Mendoza, 6.4M, Alden Richards, 5.8M, Lea Salonga, 5.6M, Alex Gonzaga, 5.3M, Liza Soberano 4.5M at marami pang iba.

Nangunguna ulit ang pangalan ni Anne Curtis sa may pinakamaraming followers sa Instagram na may 17.1M, Liza Soberano, 16M, Kathryn Bernardo, 15.4M, Pia Wurtzbach,12.5M, Andrea Brillantes, 12.4M, Catriona Gray, 12.2M, Alex Gonzaga, 11.3M, Marian Rivera, 11M, Angel Locsin 8.8M, Ivana Alawi, 6.9M. Kabilang din sina Maine Mendoza, Alden Richards, Andi Eigenmann, Kyle Echarri, KC Concepcion at iba pa.

Pasok naman ang pangalan ni Niana Guerrero, 26.1M, Andrea Brillantes,13.2M Sanya Lopez, 11.2M at iba pa sa Tiktok.

At ang top vlogger o content provider sa YouTube ay ang ABS-CBN Entertainment – 35.7M, Raffy Tulfo in Action – 21.6M, GMA Public Affairs – 16.3M, Ranz Kyle – 14.4M Niana Guerrero – 13.8M, Ivana Alawi – 13.7M, Ja Mill – 12.5M, ABS CBN News 12.6M, Wish 107.5 – 11.6M Alex Gonzaga Official – 11.3M at Zeinab Harake – 10.9M at marami pang iba.