REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 13-2012 issued on May 16, 2012 prescribes the revised guidelines and procedures in handling Letter Notices (LNs) generated through ThirdParty Information (TPI) data matching with tax returns. The Order covers the Income, Value-Added and/or Percentage Tax liabilities of individual and corporate taxpayers who are issued LNs based on the Reconciliation of Listing for Enforcement System (RELIEF), Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Tax Reconciliation System (TRS) TPI data matching programs. Taxpayers with discrepancy on their income, sales and/or purchases (domestic or imported) shall be notified of such findings through the issuance of an LN RELIEF-BOC-TRS LN, together with the Details of Taxpayer’s Customers’/Suppliers’ Records (DTCSR) and/or Details of Importations with Return Information Matching (DIRIM) and Details of Withholding Agents/Payors and Payees/Income Recipients’ Records (DWAPR), shall be generated based on the parameters determined and discrepancy threshold set by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (CIR) and to be deployed via the LN portal facility. The LNs for any given taxable year shall be handled by the investigating office having jurisdiction over the taxpayer. If there is an on-going audit/investigation pursuant to an electronic Letter of Authority (eLA) prior to LN assignment, the Revenue Officer (RO) handling the eLA shall also be assigned the LN. The said LN shall not be considered closed but shall be consolidated with the eLA. The TPI reflected in the LN shall be properly utilized and the extent of utilization shall be included in the report of investigation by the RO. The policy of nonclosure of the eLA without the resolution of the LN shall be strictly enforced. If an eLA is terminated before an LN is issued, the investigating office shall request the tax docket from the Assessment Division (AD) or Administrative Division (AdminD), as the case may be, for non-large taxpayers, and Records Division for large taxpayers and shall ascertain whether the discrepancies reflected in the LN are in the report of investigation. If discrepancies are not included, the RO shall pursue action on the LN based on the procedures specified in the Order. If the discrepancies are considered, the RO shall recommend cancellation of the LN and the tax docket shall contain the LN, photocopies of the Memorandum Audit Report, Working Papers showing reconciliation undertaken, BIR Form 0500 Series and other applicable documentary attachments. The deficiency Income, Value-Added and/or Percentage Taxes shall be computed using the formulas prescribed in the Computation Sheet attached in the Order (Annexes “C”, “C-1”, “C-2”, “C-3” and “C-4”). Taxpayer shall be entitled to abatement of surcharge, interest and compromise penalty provided he/she/it pays the basic deficiency tax(es) within 30 days from receipt of the LN. The payment of deficiency taxes shall be made using Payment Form (BIR Form No. 0611-A). Any payment of tax liabilities beyond the 30-day period shall be assessed with the corresponding surcharge (if applicable), interest and compromise penalty. In both cases, an “Agreement Form” shall be executed by the taxpayer or his/her/its duly authorized representative/tax agent indicating therein the amount and date when the deficiency tax(es) shall be paid. Installment payment shall be allowed as settlement of the tax deficiencies arising from LN in case the total tax liabilities exceed P 500,000.00, for non-large taxpayers, or P 10 Million, for large taxpayers. In this case, a written request for installment payment of the basic tax due plus increments using the Application for Installment Payment must be accomplished. The corresponding interest on the basic tax due per installment shall be computed up to the date of payment as shown in the application. In case of default of any installment payment, the remaining balance of basic tax plus the increments shall become due and demandable immediately without prior notice to taxpayer. The Revenue District Officer (RDO)/Chief, LT Audit Division shall recommend to the Regional Director (RD)/Assistant Commissioner – LTS (ACIR-LTS) the issuance of an issuebased eLA under certain situations as required under the Order. The settlement and payment of the deficiency tax(es) under an LN or issue-based eLA shall not preclude the BIR from issuing an eLA covering the comprehensive audit of a taxpayer’s tax liabilities, if warranted. However, any payment of deficiency tax(es) shall be credited against any assessment that may be made by the investigating office pursuant to an eLA provided the discrepancies disclosed by said audit are of the same nature as the discrepancies reflected in the LN. The taxpayer who fails to settle his/her/its tax liabilities resulting from LN discrepancy shall be issued any or a combination of the following actions: a) Issuance of eLA under certain situations and/or Preliminary Assessment Notice (PAN)/Final Assessment Notice (FAN) in accordance with the provisions of Revenue Regulations No. 12-99; b) Recommend the imposition of administrative sanction of suspension and temporary closure of business establishment in accordance with the provisions of RMO No. 3- 2009 (Oplan Kandado), if the under-declaration is 30% or more; c) Issuance and enforcement of the Subpoena Duces Tecum (SDT) in strict compliance with procedures enunciated in RMO No. 88-2010 and other applicable pertinent revenue issuances. After compliance with procedures on the issuance and enforcement of the SDT, docket shall be endorsed to the Office of the Regional Director (ORD)/Office of Assistant Commissioner – LTS (OACIR-LTS), through the AD/concerned OHREA-LTS, for issuance of PAN/FAN in accordance with the provisions of Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 23-2000. For LN originally assigned (with eLAs [either the investigation is on-going or terminated] or without eLAs issued) or assumed (referred to another RO), the RO assigned shall resolve the LN discrepancy within 30 days from receipt of original assignment/referral. The RD/ACIR-LTS shall direct the ROs to act without delay on the resolution of the LN discrepancy. After the lapse of the 30-day period and there is no resolution or action taken, except when RO performs other necessary procedures as herein required and/or recommends imposition of administrative sanction of suspension and temporary closure of business establishment under RMO No. 3-2009 or recommends the issuance and enforcement of SDT under RMO No. 88- 2010 and other applicable pertinent revenue issuances, the RDO/Chief, LT Audit Division shall submit the list of taxpayers/LNs and the names of the ROs to the ORD/OACIR-LTS for transmittal to the Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (OCIR). The CIR shall refer the lists of the taxpayers/LN to the Revalida Committee for appropriate action and the names of the erring ROs to Inspection Service for the issuance of a Show-Cause Order. Appropriate sanctions against erring ROs shall be imposed, if warranted. Activities and accomplishments of the investigating offices relative to the Order shall be monitored by the OCIR and the concerned offices, i.e., Office of Deputy Commissioner – Operations Group, Audit Information Tax Exemption and Incentives Division (AITEID), etc., based on key performance indicator. The procedures specified in the Order shall be used in the resolution of issues on 2009 and 2010 LNs issued prior to the effectivity of this Order, if applicable. The 2011 LNs shall use RELIEF-BOC LN and TRS LN, together with DTCSR and/or DIRIM, and DWAPR until such time that the new template for the consolidated LN (RELIEF-BOC-TRS LN ) is in place. If a taxpayer is issued RELIEF-BOC LN and TRS LN, both LNs shall be handled by one and the same RO.