UnionBank to public: Bank from home, pay taxes online
BIR extends tax payment deadline to June 14, 2020
Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) is urging individual taxpayers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to bank from home and pay their tax dues online in the midst of the public health crisis.
UnionBank made the call as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) extended once more the tax payment deadline to June 14, 2020, due to the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Through an ePayments partnership with the BIR, UnionBank provides its individual and SME clients a direct, free and easy way to pay their taxes online. In just a few seconds and a few clicks, customers can pay their taxes online 24×7, without any rerouting to different websites, completely free of charge.
UnionBank is the only privately owned bank to link directly with the BIR for its ePayments facility. For large taxpayers, they are also an authorized agent Bank for the BIR’s e-Filing and Payment System (eFPS).
In 2019, UnionBank collected more than 338 billion pesos in taxes, representing 16% of the total tax collections of the BIR for the year. This 2020, they have remitted more than 117 billion pesos in taxes to date.
Launched in April 2019, the BIR ePayment facility is available via UnionBank Online for retail customers and via UnionBank Business Banking Platform for business owners.
The collaboration is in line with UnionBank’s digital transformation strategy and aggressive push to onboard government transactions in a bid to provide convenient and inclusive financial solutions for all Filipinos.
“Digitizing payments is at its tipping point. We are in line with the government’s efforts to support SMEs in the Philippines,” said UnionBank senior vice president and Transaction Banking head Ramon Duarte, referring to the end goal of the bank’s transformation which is to achieve greater financial inclusion. “We are delighted to see the growth of transactions during this new normal and allowing our SME clients to settle their tax obligations via our digital channels.”
The ePayment facility saves thousands of Filipino business owners, self-employed professionals and freelancers from the hassle of falling in line in bank branches to pay their taxes, especially during the current health crisis.
We cannot stress the importance of public safety, we urge the public to pay their taxes digitally,” Duarte added.
Taxpayers who are UnionBank customers must log on to UnionBank Online or UnionBank Business Banking Platform, select the Pay Bills feature, enter the required details, then submit to finish the transaction.
Meanwhile, non-UnionBank customers can simply open an account electronically by signing up on UnionBank Online for individual customers. While SMEs and corporations with existing UnionBank accounts would have to enroll at portal.unionbankph.com/enrollment.
