The Department of Finance (DOF) has issued Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 16-2020 dated June 24, 2020, extending anew deadlines for filing of claims for value added tax (VAT) refund.

It extended the deadline once more because of the preconceived difficulty for taxpayer-claimants to file VAT refund claims, as mobility in some areas in the country remains restricted because of the government-imposed community quarantine measures to prevent further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19).

The extended deadlines for filing of VAT refund claims are as follows:

· Calendar quarter ending March 31, 2018 – July 15, 2020

· Fiscal quarter ending April 30, 2018 – July 31, 2020

· Fiscal quarter ending May 31, 2018 – August 15, 2020

· Calendar quarter ending June 30, 2018 – August 31, 2020

But these extended deadlines will not apply to areas that are not yet under general community quarantine (GCQ).

For taxpayer-claimants in these areas that have yet to transition to GCQ, the deadline shall be thirty (30) days from the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in the affected areas, or the above stated deadlines, whichever comes later.

Finally, in areas under ECQ or MECQ, the implementation of the 90-day period for processing VAT refund claims is suspended.

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