[ BIR REVENUE MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 53-2007, August 07, 2007 ]

REITERATION OF THE AMENDMENT MADE BY RA 9337 IMPOSING VAT ON THE SALE OF NON-FOOD AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, MARINE AND FOREST PRODUCTS AND ON THE SALE OF COTTON AND COTTON SEEDS IN THEIR ORIGINAL STATE.



Prior  to the enactment of Republic Act  No.  9337  which  amended certain provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended,  Section 109, specifically items (a) and (b) thereof,   has included the œsale of non-food agricultural products;  marine  and forest products  in their  original state  by the primary producer or the  owner of the land  where  the same  are produced   as well  as the œsale of cotton  and cotton seeds in their original state; and  copra     as  among  the transactions exempt  from the imposition of VAT.

However, with the promulgation of   Republic Act No. 9337,  these abovementioned exempt  transactions  were repealed  by  Section 7  of  such  Act  when  it amended Section 109 by excluding from the enumeration of VAT-exempt transactions the said  aforementioned  provisions.

Revenue Regulations No. 16-2005 implementing the provisions of Republic Act No.  9337   became effective  beginning  November  1, 2005.  Thus, beginning such date,  primary  producers of   non-food  agricultural products; marine and forest products, including  owners  of  the land   where  the same are  produced;  as  well as sellers of cotton and cotton seeds in their original state are already subject to VAT at the rate of ten  percent  (10%)  from November 2005  to January 2006 and to the rate  of twelve percent  (12%)  beginning February  2006 onwards.

As such,  these taxpayers are expected to have already filed their respective VAT  declarations and paid the VAT  due on   these newly  covered VAT   transactions beginning said period. In case they have inadvertently failed to file the  VAT returns required  or  have  wrongly  continued  to declare these  transactions as VAT-exempt in their  respective  VAT  returns filed  beginning November  2005,  they  are  hereby encouraged  to make the necessary  corrections  and self  assessments  thereon   in order  that  these  transactions  may  properly  be  reflected in  their  rightful  category as transactions  subject to VAT   with  the corresponding  payment of the deficiency VAT  due therefrom.   For this  purpose,   all  district  offices are likewise  directed  to review the VAT returns filed by these taxpayers beginning on the month of  November 2005 and onwards, check whether these previously exempt transactions have been declared  for VAT purposes  and issue  deficiency  assessments  thereon  if  found  to be  otherwise.

All internal  revenue officers and others concerned  are  hereby  enjoined  to give this Circular  as wide  a publicity as possible.

Adopted: 07 Aug. 2007

(SGD.) LILIAN  B. HEFTI
OIC, Commissioner of Internal Revenue