COURT OF TAX APPEALS DECISIONS
IN CWT REFUND, TAXPAYER MUST TRACE IN DETAIL THE INCOME PAYMENT SUBJECT TO CWT TO THE BOOKS; ICPA REPORT IS NOT CONCLUSIVE. A taxpayer claiming a refund or issuance of a tax credit certificate for unutilized creditable withholding taxes (CWTs) must prove that the income payments from which the taxes were withheld were duly declared as part of the taxpayer’s gross income in its Annual Income Tax Return, and that such income can be properly traced and verified through the taxpayer’s books of accounts and supporting records; mere certification or conclusory findings of the Independent Certified Public Accountant (ICPA) are insufficient, as the Court is not bound by the findings of an ICPA and may require corroborative documentary evidence such as general ledgers or itemized revenue records to substantiate the linkage between BIR Form No. 2307 and reported income. In this case, the taxpayer failed to sufficiently demonstrate, through competent and traceable evidence, that the income payments subject of the claimed CWTs were included in its gross income, as the CPA’s report lacked detailed tracing to the general ledger or itemized verification of sales composition, and the Court found no adequate documentary basis to confirm the alleged inclusion in the Annual ITR; thus, the taxpayer failed to discharge its burden of proof, rendering its claim for refund untenable [(Sony Philippines, Incorporated vs. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA Case No. 10917, October 24, 2025; see also Ford Group Philippines, Inc. v. CIR, CTA Case No. 11128, October 1, 2025; see also CIR v. Novabalaja JV Corp, CTA EB No. 2952, CTA Case No. 10287, October 10, 2025)]
IN REFUND OF EXCISE TAX ON IMPORTED JET A-1 FUEL, REFUND MAY BE PARTIALLY DENIED IF THE AUTHORITY TO OPERATE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS AND FOREIGN AIR CARRIER’S PERMIT OF INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS IS EXPIRED/ABSENT. A taxpayer may recover excise taxes erroneously or illegally collected, provided it proves among other that the petroleum products were stored in bonded storage, sold to qualified international air carriers duly authorized to operate international flights, and used or consumed outside the Philippines. In this case, the taxpayer successfully established that it directly imported Jet A-1 fuel, paid excise taxes thereon, and subsequently sold the same to international air carriers for use outside the Philippines, supported by importation documents, customs records, withdrawal certificates, et. al.; however, the Court disallowed a portion of the claim corresponding to international carried whose authority to operate international flights had expired and without valid foreign air carrier’s permit. Accordingly, the Court granted a partial refund of excise taxes (Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation vs. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA Case No. 10966, August 12, 2025).
CAPITAL GAINS DERIVED BY A NON-RESIDENT FOREIGN CORPORATION FROM THE SALE OF SHARES OF STOCK IN A DOMESTIC CORPORATION NOT TRADED IN THE STOCK EXCHANGE MAY BE EXEMPT FROM PHILIPPINE TAXATION TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY A BINDING INTERNATIONAL TAX TREATY. Here, the claimant, a Netherlands tax resident, established through documentary evidence including a Certificate of Residence issued by the Dutch tax authority and SEC certification of non-registration in the Philippines, that it sold shares of stock in a domestic corporation and paid capital gains tax; however, under Philippines–Netherlands Tax Treaty, gains from the alienation of property other than immovable property, business property of a permanent establishment are taxable only in the state of residence, which in this case is the Netherlands, thereby allocating exclusive taxing rights to the Netherlands and exempting such gains from Philippine capital gains tax. Since the sufficiently proved its treaty residence status and ownership and sale of the shares, and, the Court held that the capital gains tax paid in the Philippines was erroneously collected and must be refunded. Health Products and Services B.V. vs. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA Case No. 10968, July 28, 2025). Dissenting opinion:
PETITION FILED ON THE DATE OF DEADLINE VIA LBC AND RECEIVED BY THE COURT ONLY AFTER 2 DAYS IS DISMISSED FOR FILING OUT OF TIME; SEE DISSENTING OPINION. A petition for review of a denial of a motion for reconsideration must be filed within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the assailed resolution, and initiatory pleadings must be filed personally or by registered mail (or with express court permission via electronic filing), such that filing through an unauthorized mode is treated as filing by ordinary mail and deemed filed only upon actual receipt by the Court. Here, the taxpayer filed the petition the granted extended date or July 24, but the court received it only on July 26 as the petition was filed via LBC courier service. Thus, the petition is considered filed out of time since the mode of filing is not allowed for initiatory pleadings. The Court further found no compelling reason to relax the rules, especially since the appealed decision had already been correctly resolved at the division level and no injustice or exceptional circumstance was shown to justify liberal construction. Dissenting Opinion: procedural rules are not absolute and may be relaxed in the higher interest of substantial justice, especially where no prejudice is shown and strict application would result in a miscarriage of justice. [(Carmen Copper Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA EB No. 2779 (CTA Case No. 10074), October 27, 2025; see also CIR v. Halliburton Worldwide Limited – Philippine Branch, October 14, 2025)]
A LETTER-DENIAL OF REFUND BY THE REVENUE DISTRICT OFFICE IS NOT APPEALABLE TO THE CTA. The CTA has jurisdiction only over decisions or inactions of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or duly authorized official (such as a Regional Director), and a VAT refund claim may be appealed to the CTA only if there is a proper, appealable denial issued in accordance with the prescribed authority and procedure. In this case, the Court found that the petition was improperly elevated because it was anchored on a BIR letter issued by Revenue District Office (not by the Regional Director), which merely informed petitioner of the denial of its VAT refund claim and was not shown to be an appealable decision of the CIR or a duly authorized approving official; thus, the Petition for Review was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. [Sankyu-ATS Consortium B v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA EB No. 2840 (CTA Case No. 10471), July 31, 2025]
ALKYLATE IS NOT SUBJECT TO EXCISE TAX. This is because alkylate is not expressly covered as a taxable product, is not a product of distillation but of alkylation, and cannot be classified under “other similar products of distillation” under the principle of ejusdem generis, applying the rule that taxes must be strictly construed against the government and may not be imposed without clear statutory basis. Applying this doctrine, the Court En Banc ruled that the Commissioner of Internal Revenue’s imposition of excise tax on the importation of alkylate was erroneous and illegal, and that taxpayer was entitled to a refund [(Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Petron Corporation, CTA EB No. 2894, CTA Case No. 9947, August 1, 2025)]
IN INPUT VAT REFUND CASES, ONLY DECISION OF THE CIR IS APPEALABLE TO THE CTA; “DEEMED DENIED” MECHANISM IS REMOVED UNDER THE TRAIN LAW; SEE DISSENTING OPINION. Statutory construction principles dictate that the deliberate deletion of language is presumed to reflect legislative intent, such that courts must give effect to the removal of the “deemed denied” mechanism previously allowing taxpayers to appeal CIR inaction, and under the doctrine that clear legislative omission cannot be judicially restored, a judicial claim for VAT refund may be filed only within 30 days from receipt of an actual denial and not from the lapse of the 90-day period. Applying this, the Court En Banc held that TRAIN intentionally removed any remedy based on CIR inaction, as shown by both textual amendment and legislative deliberations, leaving taxpayers with only one mode of appeal within 30 days from receipt of the CIR’s decision; thus rendering inaction non-appealable to the CTA. In other words, the taxpayer has no right to appeal to the CTA the inaction of the CIR after 90 days (only partial or full denial may be appealed). Dissenting Opinion: Deemed denial clause remains as the CTA rules expressly grant CTA jurisdiction over CIR inaction; removal of deemed denial provision would lead to absurd result where the taxpayer will be waiting indefinitely for the CIR’s action [Citco International Support Services Limited-Philippine ROHQ v CIR, CTA EB No. 2900 (CTA Case No. 10258), August 7, 2025; see also MD Rio Visa Agri-Ventures, Inc. v. CIR, CTA EB No. 2903, CTA Case No. 1124]
IN CWT REFUND, FAILURE TO SUBMIT ALL LISTED DOCUMENTS IN BIR-LEVEL IS NOT FATAL; CTA MAY CONSIDER ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE. The Court held that non-compliance with documentary requirements of the BIR does not automatically warrant denial of a tax refund claim, as these issuances merely serve as internal guidelines and do not impose mandatory conditions for entitlement; jurisprudence confirms that failure to submit all listed documents is not fatal, especially absent notice from the BIR, and that cases before the CTA are litigated de novo, allowing consideration of additional evidence; further, CWT certificates constitute prima facie proof of withholding and remittance, and actual remittance need not be proven by the taxpayer since such duty lies with the withholding agent. The Court found that the taxpayer sufficiently substantiated its claim despite alleged documentary deficiencies, as the CIR failed to notify it of any missing documents, and the evidence presented, including financial records and independent CPA tracing, adequately established that the income related to the claimed CWTs was reported in its ITR; moreover, the CWT certificates were deemed sufficient proof of withholding without need to show actual remittance [(CIR v. Panay Power Corporation, CTA EB No. 2911 (CTA Case No. 10499), Decision dated September 30, 2025; see also CIR v. Global Business Power Corporation, CTA EB No. 2965, CTA Case No. 10500, October 10, 2025)]
INCOME PAYMENT TO BSP IS NOT SUBJECT TO WITHHOLDING TAX. Income payments made to the national government and its instrumentalities including government agencies vested with corporate powers but not organized as stock or non-stock corporations are exempt from creditable withholding tax; jurisprudence recognize Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as a government instrumentality. Applying these principles, the Court En Banc held that is exempt from creditable withholding tax, such that the imposition of surcharge, interest, and compromise penalty for alleged late payment of expanded withholding tax was unwarranted; and even assuming the transaction was taxable, the obligation to withhold rests on the income payor and not BSP as payee. Finding that BSP sufficiently substantiated its refund claim, the Court affirmed the grant of refund [Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, CTA EB No. 2944 (CTA Case No. 10278), September 8, 2025]
A WITNESS MUST HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS. The franchise tax paid by the grantee is in lieu of all other taxes, duties, and charges, including import duties and taxes on commissary and catering supplies, provided that (i) the imported articles are used in the grantee’s transport-related operations and (ii) such items are not locally available in reasonable quantity, quality, or price, with the taxpayer bearing the burden of strictly proving compliance as tax exemptions and refunds are construed strictly against the claimant. Applying these principles, the Court En Banc held that petitioner’s claim for refund was anchored on the alleged exemption of imported alcohol and commissary supplies, but it failed to discharge its burden of proving that such items were not locally available because the evidence presented, consisting of price lists from only a limited number of suppliers and a comparative table, was not given probative weight, as the witnesses had no personal knowledge of the preparation of the documents and the actual preparers were not presented, rendering the documents hearsay and incompetent evidence regardless of lack of objection; thus, petitioner failed to establish even a prima facie case that would shift the burden to respondent, and jurisprudence allowing sufficiency of a single price list was distinguished because the controlling issue was not quantity of evidence but its reliability and admissibility. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the denial of the refund [Philippine Airlines, Inc. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA EB No. 2949 (CTA Case No. 10730), October 29, 2025]
PAGCOR LICENSEE’S VAT FROM PURCHASES IS NOT REFUNDABLE; VAT ON IMPORTATION IS REFUNDABLE. PAGCOR and its licensees, upon payment of the 5% franchise tax, are exempt from all taxes, direct and indirect, by virtue of the “in lieu of all taxes” clause; the Supreme Court also clarified that input VAT is not creditable when attributable to VAT-exempt transactions, and that only taxes actually erroneously paid by the claimant may be recovered under refund provisions. Applying these rules, the Court held that Melco Resorts Leisure Corporation, as a PAGCOR licensee that paid the required 5% franchise tax, is VAT-exempt, but its operations (casino and hotel gaming-related activities) are not zero-rated or effectively zero-rated sales under the Tax Code, thus, it cannot claim refund of input VAT passed on by its suppliers because such VAT is neither creditable nor refundable. However, the Court distinguished VAT on importations and VAT on services rendered by non-residents, finding that Melco, as the statutory taxpayer directly liable for such VAT, may recover amounts that were erroneously or illegally collected; consequently, only a limited portion of the claimed VAT (those directly paid, validly supported, and timely filed, including certain importation VAT) was refundable, while the bulk of the claimed input VAT on purchases from suppliers was denied. [Melco Resorts Leisure (PHP) Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue / Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Melco Resorts Leisure (PHP) Corporation, CTA EB Nos. 2976 & 2980 (CTA Case Nos. 10099 & 10176), October 28, 2025)]
REFUND OF CWT AND DST MUST BE FILED WITHIN 2 YEARS FROM DATE OF PAYMENT, NOT 6 YEARS. Administrative and judicial claims for refund of national internal revenue taxes alleged to have been erroneously, illegally, excessively, or wrongfully collected must be filed within two (2) years from the date of payment; jurisprudence consistently holds that the provision constitutes a special law that prevails over the 6-year prescriptive period of Civil Code on quasi-contracts (solutio indebiti). Applying these doctrines, the Court ruled that petitioner’s claims for refund of CWT, which were paid by a bank and passed on to petitioner in connection with an extrajudicial foreclosure sale later nullified by the RTC, are still governed exclusively by NIRC because at the time of payment the amounts were treated as national internal revenue taxes, making the claims for recovery necessarily tax refund actions subject to the 2-year; thus, petitioner’s argument that the 6-year period under solutio indebiti should apply was rejected, as the Civil Code cannot override the Tax Code. The Court further held that even if petitioner reframed the action as solutio indebiti, the CTA would still lack jurisdiction because it is a court of special and limited jurisdiction confined to tax-related disputes, not ordinary civil actions for recovery of sums of money, and therefore it can only resolve claims clearly falling under tax statutes. Consequently, finding that both administrative and judicial claims were filed beyond the mandatory two-year prescriptive period, the Court affirmed their dismissal as time-barred and without merit [(Lyk Property Holdings, Inc. v. CIR, ), CTA EB No. 2986 (CTA Case No. 10754), September 30, 2025)]
A MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDED DECISION IS A PRE-REQUISITE TO APPEAL TO CTA EN BANC. A Petition for Review before the CTA En Banc must be preceded by a timely Motion for Reconsideration or New Trial filed before the CTA Division that issued the assailed decision, and failure to comply with this mandatory requirement is a jurisdictional defect warranting dismissal; jurisprudence further clarifies that even an Amended Decision must first be subjected to a motion for reconsideration when it substantially modifies the original ruling, such as by re-evaluating evidence or altering the amount of relief granted, since it is treated as a distinct decision. Applying these rules, the Court dismissed the Petition for Review because petitioner directly elevated the CTA Division’s Amended Decision to the En Banc without first filing a Motion for Reconsideration, despite the Amended Decision materially modifying the original ruling by reassessing evidence and increasing the amount of refund awarded, thereby falling squarely within the category of amendatory rulings requiring reconsideration; as a result, the En Banc held that it lacked jurisdiction and affirmed the Amended Decision. [(CIR v. Halliburton Worldwide Limited-Philippine Branch, CTA EB No. 3070, CTA Case No. 10467, September 16, 2025)]
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Under the SEC Notice on the Extension of Temporary Use of the 2020 Form for Filing of General Information Sheet on eFAST, all corporations are authorized to continue using the 2020 GIS Form until 15 May 2026, particularly those still completing access or registration requirements in the SEC online systems.
BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE
BIR DEADLINES FROM APRIL 25, 2026 TO MAY 3, 2026. A gentle reminder on the following deadlines, as may be applicable:
| DATE | FILING/SUBMISSION |
| April 25, 2026 | SUBMISSION - Quarterly Summary List of Sales/Purchases/Importations by a VAT Registered Taxpayers - Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 |
| SUBMISSION - Sworn Statement of Manufacturer’s or Importer’s Volume of Sales of each particular Brand of Alcohol Products, Tobacco Products and Sweetened Beverage Products. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) - BIR Form 2550Q (Quarterly Value-Added Tax Return) - eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) - BIR Form 2551Q (Quarterly Percentage Tax Return) - eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) - BIR Form 2550-DS (Value-Added Tax (VAT) Return for Nonresident Digital Service Provider) - For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| April 29, 2026 | e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) – BIR Form 1702Q (Quarterly Income Tax Return For Corporations, Partnerships and Other Non-Individual Taxpayers) and Summary Alphalist of Withholding Taxes (SAWT). Fiscal Quarter ending February 28, 2026 |
| April 30, 2026 | SUBMISSION – Attachments to e-Filed BIR Forms 1700, 1701, 1701-MS and 1701A. Calendar Year 2025 |
| SUBMISSION – Proof of eFiled BIR Form 1702 – RT/EX/MX with Audited Financial Statements (AFS), 1709 (if applicable), and Other Attachments through Electronic Audited Financial Statements (eAFS) or Manually. Calendar Year 2025 | |
| SUBMISSION – Soft copies of Inventory List and Schedules stored and saved in DVD-R/USB properly labeled together with Notarized Sworn Declaration. Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-SUBMISSION – Quarterly Summary List of Sales/Purchases/Importations by a VAT Registered Taxpayers - eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) – BIR Form 1601-EQ (Quarterly Remittance Return of Creditable Income Taxes Withheld-Expanded) and Quarterly Alphalist of Payees (QAP) – eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) – BIR Form 1601-FQ (Quarterly Remittance Return of Final Income Taxes Withheld) and Quarterly Alphalist of Payees (QAP) – eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) – BIR Form 1602Q (Quarterly Remittance Return of Final Taxes Withheld on Interest Paid on Deposits and Yield on Deposit Substitutes/Trusts/Etc.) – eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) – BIR Form 1603Q (Quarterly Remittance Return of Final Income Taxes Withheld on Fringe Benefits Paid to Employees Other Than Rank and File) – eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| e-FILING & PAYMENT (Online/Manual) – BIR Form 1621 (Quarterly Remittance Return of Tax Withheld on the Amount Withdrawn from Decedent’s Deposit Account) – eFPS & Non-eFPS Filers. For the Quarter ending March 31, 2026 | |
| ONLINE REGISTRATION (thru ORUS) – Computerized Books of Accounts and Other Accounting Records. Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2026 | |
| May 1, 2026 | SUBMISSION – Consolidated Returns of All Transactions based on the Reconciled Data of the Stockbrokers. April 16–30, 2026 |
| SUBMISSION – Engagement Letters and Renewals or Subsequent Agreements for Financial Audit by Independent CPAs. Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2026 |
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