I sent an email to contact_us@cctr.bir.gov.ph, I wonder what the effect will be, if any:
I gas up at a Petron gas station on P. Guevara, San Juan. By default, they don't give any receipt. When I ask for an OR (explicitly saying "O.R.", not just "resibo"), they ALWAYS give a cash invoice, when I ask for an OR again, they will often ask if I really want a receipt
and only when I say YES I REALLY WANT AN OFFICIAL RECEIPT will they finally give me an O.R. This O.R. takes an inordinately long time to make.
All of this seems to be designed to make providing ORs to customers very unlikely (so that they can pocket the VAT, income tax due, etc).
Where do I go to complain formally? Is it sufficient to post it here and you will forward to the relevant BIR officers?
In contrast to this, there is a Shell gas station on Boni and P. Cruz which always provides O.R.'s whether or not it's requested (their POS terminal automatically prints the receipt, much like KFC or McDonalds do).
Is this a Petron corporate issue (they don't require franchisees to provide ORs by default and they allow evasion by avoidance) or is it just the Petron franchisee evading taxes?
2006-06-07
US Policy, massacres, and discretion
My sister, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nieces and nephews are coming to the Philippines in the next few weeks. They all live in the U.S., and they're more on the blue side since my sister's husband is retired Army.
I've got some strong (but not radical) thoughts on US Army (and Marines, basically, United States Military) arrogance leading to ignoring the rights of local populations and concentrating on minimizing casualties.
It's natural that minimizing casualties, in an environment where the enemy looks like the civilians, and vice versa, leads to artillery and air attacks which kills civilians. It's also natural for all those dead civilians to be written off as the cost of war. When I say that it's natural, I mean that I can understand why the American's are relatively callous about non-American casualties. They're not American citizens, they don't count for as much as a single dead American citizen would. Of course the soldiers at the scene care about the difference. But let's be frank, it's not the same. 20 dead civilians is nothing compared to one dead American soldier. Nor would I be surprised if the ratio were higher than that
I'm certainly not being sarcastic or ironic there. I'm being completely serious and practical. That's just the way things work out. If the soldiers there were Filipinos I would expect things to be WORSE.
However, and unfortunately, if you're not American the equation doesn't favor the Americans at all. Americans (and Tony Blair, if not necessarily the British Army, quite as much) come out as bullies. To be ignored, if possible, resisted where they must (if the American's come to my country and start throwing their weight around backed up by guns, of course I'd stand up to them, who wouldn't?), avoided if irresistible, attacked where they can.
But I'm not saying any of that when my sister and family come over. After all, the Americans are not throwing their weight (and bullets) around in my country yet. So all I can do is disapprove of their doing so elsewhere, and wish that they'd go home and defend their country instead of making other countries their foot rugs. Let them terrorize their muslim citizens instead of killing the muslim citizens of other countries. Let them get away from walking all over other countries so that those of us who are free can breathe a sigh of relief.
But none of that is getting voiced out when my family come over. They're not George Bush, after all. And if they support George Bush, well, let them. The U.S. is sowing the wind, it will reap what it deserves. Those of us who are not likely American invasion targets will watch from the sidelines, and maybe place a few side bets.
I've got some strong (but not radical) thoughts on US Army (and Marines, basically, United States Military) arrogance leading to ignoring the rights of local populations and concentrating on minimizing casualties.
It's natural that minimizing casualties, in an environment where the enemy looks like the civilians, and vice versa, leads to artillery and air attacks which kills civilians. It's also natural for all those dead civilians to be written off as the cost of war. When I say that it's natural, I mean that I can understand why the American's are relatively callous about non-American casualties. They're not American citizens, they don't count for as much as a single dead American citizen would. Of course the soldiers at the scene care about the difference. But let's be frank, it's not the same. 20 dead civilians is nothing compared to one dead American soldier. Nor would I be surprised if the ratio were higher than that
I'm certainly not being sarcastic or ironic there. I'm being completely serious and practical. That's just the way things work out. If the soldiers there were Filipinos I would expect things to be WORSE.
However, and unfortunately, if you're not American the equation doesn't favor the Americans at all. Americans (and Tony Blair, if not necessarily the British Army, quite as much) come out as bullies. To be ignored, if possible, resisted where they must (if the American's come to my country and start throwing their weight around backed up by guns, of course I'd stand up to them, who wouldn't?), avoided if irresistible, attacked where they can.
But I'm not saying any of that when my sister and family come over. After all, the Americans are not throwing their weight (and bullets) around in my country yet. So all I can do is disapprove of their doing so elsewhere, and wish that they'd go home and defend their country instead of making other countries their foot rugs. Let them terrorize their muslim citizens instead of killing the muslim citizens of other countries. Let them get away from walking all over other countries so that those of us who are free can breathe a sigh of relief.
But none of that is getting voiced out when my family come over. They're not George Bush, after all. And if they support George Bush, well, let them. The U.S. is sowing the wind, it will reap what it deserves. Those of us who are not likely American invasion targets will watch from the sidelines, and maybe place a few side bets.
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