[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"i-heroicons:chat-bubble-left-right":3,"categories":8,"i-heroicons:chevron-down":57,"i-heroicons:magnifying-glass":59,"i-lucide:moon":61,"i-lucide:sun":63,"i-heroicons:user-circle":65,"i-heroicons:bars-3":67,"footer-categories":69,"i-heroicons:rss":78,"article-bir-tax-refunds-double-p23-67-billion-nine-months-2026":80,"article-related-bir-tax-refunds-double-p23-67-billion-nine-months-2026":112,"i-heroicons:home":144,"i-heroicons:chevron-right":146,"i-heroicons:calendar":148,"i-heroicons:clock":150,"i-simple-icons:facebook":152,"i-simple-icons:x":154,"i-simple-icons:linkedin":156,"i-simple-icons:whatsapp":159,"i-heroicons:link":161},{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":7},0,24,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"M20.25 8.511c.884.284 1.5 1.128 1.5 2.097v4.286c0 1.136-.847 2.1-1.98 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government","2025-12-10T17:10:42.106866Z",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24,"description":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26},"ec735825-d1b2-4956-af88-07bc895af11b","Judiciary","judiciary","Supreme Court decisions, legal cases involving public officials, and justice system developments","2025-12-10T17:10:42.110026Z",{"id":28,"name":29,"slug":30,"description":31,"created_at":32,"updated_at":32},"e1ed44e2-637c-45ba-b7b8-471653490f41","Legislative","legislative","Bills, laws, committee hearings, and proceedings from the Senate and House of Representatives","2025-12-10T17:10:42.108465Z",{"id":34,"name":35,"slug":36,"description":37,"created_at":38,"updated_at":38},"987d90cc-177c-43bb-86d2-ce61f0968859","Local Government","local-government","News from provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays including LGU programs, local ordinances, and regional development initiatives","2025-12-10T17:10:42.100342Z",{"id":40,"name":41,"slug":42,"description":43,"created_at":44,"updated_at":44},"36b2ea04-5b7f-4e75-bbf3-6a238e50600c","National Politics","national-politics","Coverage of Malacañang, Congress, and national government affairs including executive orders, legislative proceedings, and inter-agency coordination","2025-12-10T17:10:42.096683Z",{"id":46,"name":47,"slug":48,"description":49,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50},"00d0b27c-faad-413b-ab22-1a345c36b651","Opinion","opinion","Editorial commentary, expert analysis, and diverse perspectives on Philippine political issues and governance","2025-12-10T17:10:42.105211Z",{"id":52,"name":53,"slug":54,"description":55,"created_at":56,"updated_at":56},"27e70b57-ded6-4da9-a494-78d8a4d600e1","Policy","policy","Analysis of government policies, programs, and reforms including economic measures, social welfare initiatives, and regulatory changes","2025-12-10T17:10:42.103552Z",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":58},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"m19.5 8.25l-7.5 7.5l-7.5-7.5\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":60},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"m21 21l-5.197-5.197m0 0A7.5 7.5 0 1 0 5.196 5.196a7.5 7.5 0 0 0 10.607 10.607\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":62},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M20.985 12.486a9 9 0 1 1-9.473-9.472c.405-.022.617.46.402.803a6 6 0 0 0 8.268 8.268c.344-.215.825-.004.803.401\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":64},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Ccircle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"4\"/>\u003Cpath d=\"M12 2v2m0 16v2M4.93 4.93l1.41 1.41m11.32 11.32l1.41 1.41M2 12h2m16 0h2M6.34 17.66l-1.41 1.41M19.07 4.93l-1.41 1.41\"/>\u003C/g>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":66},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"M17.982 18.725A7.49 7.49 0 0 0 12 15.75a7.49 7.49 0 0 0-5.982 2.975m11.964 0a9 9 0 1 0-11.963 0m11.962 0A8.97 8.97 0 0 1 12 21a8.97 8.97 0 0 1-5.982-2.275M15 9.75a3 3 0 1 1-6 0a3 3 0 0 1 6 0\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":68},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"M3.75 6.75h16.5M3.75 12h16.5m-16.5 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0a.75.75 0 0 1 1.5 0\"/>",{"id":81,"slug":82,"title":83,"summary":84,"content":85,"category_id":52,"status":86,"view_count":4,"published_at":87,"created_at":88,"updated_at":88,"category":89,"tags":91},"23709395-f7b1-4d4f-9737-a7032f9dc701","bir-tax-refunds-double-p23-67-billion-nine-months-2026","BIR Tax Refunds Nearly Double to ₱23.67 Billion in Nine Months as Bureau Rushes Approved Claims","The Bureau of Internal Revenue released 90.6% more in refunds from January to September than it did over the same period last year, with the commissioner citing cash-flow relief for businesses squeezed by the ongoing energy crisis.","\u003Cp>The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) released ₱23.67 billion in tax refunds between January and September 2026, a 90.6% jump from the ₱12.42 billion released over the same nine months in 2025, according to a September 26, 2026 report by \u003Ca href=\"https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/09/26/2558888/bir-releases-p236-billion-tax-refunds\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Philippine Star's Aubrey Rose Inosante\u003C/a>. The bureau's own account of the surge is straightforward: once a claim clears evaluation, there's no reason to sit on it.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>"Once a refund has been properly evaluated and approved for release, we see no reason to unnecessarily delay it," BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said, framing the faster turnaround as a deliberate policy rather than a byproduct of backlog clearing. Mendoza tied the push to helping businesses "preserve cash flow and keep their operations moving, particularly amid the ongoing energy crisis" — a reference to the power-sector strain that has also driven up pump prices and electricity rates this year.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The refund push is being framed by the administration as part of a broader ease-of-doing-business push. Finance Secretary Frederick Go has spoken of making government transactions "easier, faster and less costly for businesses," and the refund acceleration is presented as one visible outcome of that directive, alongside President Marcos's general order to streamline government transactions.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>What the reporting does not establish is the composition of the refunds — whether the increase is concentrated in VAT refunds, income tax, or another category — nor does it break down how much of the jump reflects genuinely faster processing of new claims versus the clearing of older, previously stalled ones. The BIR has not published, at least as reported so far, a category-by-category breakdown alongside the topline figure, which limits how precisely the "rushed claims" description in earlier wire reporting can be verified against the bureau's own data.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The refund figure sits against a backdrop of otherwise solid collections: the BIR brought in ₱2.24 trillion from January to August 2026, up 4.6% year-on-year. Doubling refunds while overall collections still grow is, on its face, consistent with the bureau's claim that this is deliberate service improvement rather than a sign of over-collection needing correction — but neither BIR nor the Department of Finance has laid out that comparison explicitly, leaving readers to draw the inference themselves.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Ch3>Context\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>The refund increase comes as the government has already trimmed its 2026 tax collection target to ₱4.44 trillion and as national debt sits at a record ₱19.39 trillion, raising the general question of how faster refunds interact with a fiscal position the Department of Finance has separately described as needing careful management. Neither the BIR nor DOF statements reported so far address that tension directly.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Ch3>Sources\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/09/26/2558888/bir-releases-p236-billion-tax-refunds\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">BIR releases P23.6 billion in tax refunds — The Philippine Star, Sept. 26, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/09/25/9-month-bir-refunds-rise-90-6-to-p23-67b-as-claims-rushed/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">9-month BIR refunds rise 90.6% to P23.67B as claims rushed — BusinessMirror, Sept. 25, 2026\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>","published","2026-09-27T05:57:33.653018Z","2026-09-27T05:57:33.653327Z",{"id":52,"name":53,"slug":54,"description":55,"created_at":90,"updated_at":90},"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",[92,96,100,104,108],{"id":93,"name":94,"slug":95,"created_at":90,"updated_at":90},"882dac18-bf7d-4ee6-b693-bff1a9e36a74","DOF","dof",{"id":97,"name":98,"slug":99,"created_at":90,"updated_at":90},"70a141fd-f734-4b2a-b281-8bf69c356237","National Budget","national-budget",{"id":101,"name":102,"slug":103,"created_at":90,"updated_at":90},"6050ab41-f00e-4613-b47a-0f76186e374f","Taxation","taxation",{"id":105,"name":106,"slug":107,"created_at":90,"updated_at":90},"5ae4877f-7d5d-43b0-a204-13ccc674561c","Economy","economy",{"id":109,"name":110,"slug":111,"created_at":90,"updated_at":90},"96244fe6-9aae-48c8-b3a3-8ce86f59a7af","Bureau of Internal Revenue","bureau-of-internal-revenue",[113,121,128,136],{"id":114,"slug":115,"title":116,"summary":117,"status":86,"view_count":118,"published_at":119,"created_at":120,"category_name":53,"category_slug":54},"156014c1-2395-4db8-b95e-05946ec070b4","philippines-national-debt-p18-49-trillion-record-gdp-ratio-21-year-high-2026","Philippine National Debt Swells to Record P18.49 Trillion; Debt-to-GDP Ratio Reaches 21-Year High","The national government's outstanding debt hit a fresh high of P18.49 trillion at end-March 2026, driving the debt-to-GDP ratio to 65.2% — the worst reading since 2005 — as a weakening peso inflated the peso value of foreign-currency borrowings and domestic securities issuance continued at pace.",4,"2026-05-23T10:33:12.496725Z","2026-05-23T10:33:12.497485Z",{"id":122,"slug":123,"title":124,"summary":125,"status":86,"view_count":4,"published_at":126,"created_at":127,"category_name":53,"category_slug":54},"0073e805-880a-404b-bbdc-940b5df177d5","bir-vat-system-loss-power-bills-september-2026","BIR Removes VAT on System Loss Charges in Power Bills, but Full Relief Still Awaits Congress","Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 97-2026 exempts a government-mandated pass-through cost from the 12% value-added tax starting this week — a narrower version of the bill relief President Marcos demanded in his July State of the Nation Address.","2026-09-16T03:56:27.977317Z","2026-09-16T03:56:27.978011Z",{"id":129,"slug":130,"title":131,"summary":132,"status":86,"view_count":133,"published_at":134,"created_at":135,"category_name":53,"category_slug":54},"9638b272-f82a-421d-b9de-738de5258820","philippines-widest-deficit-sea-spending-cuts-debt-costs-surge-june-2026","Philippines Faces Steepest Spending Pressure in Southeast Asia as Debt Costs Surge and Deficit Exceeds Target","Oxford Economics warns that Manila — carrying the widest fiscal deficit in ASEAN at 5.6% of GDP — will be forced to rein in government spending as interest payments consume over 15% of revenue and borrowing costs climb, compounding the infrastructure collapse already caused by the flood control graft crackdown.",9,"2026-06-10T07:26:58.041805Z","2026-06-10T07:26:58.042004Z",{"id":137,"slug":138,"title":139,"summary":140,"status":86,"view_count":141,"published_at":142,"created_at":143,"category_name":53,"category_slug":54},"5e18ed5d-ca13-461b-85d6-75081546f741","dbm-releases-87-percent-2026-budget-dpwh-catches-up-infrastructure-spending-slump-june-2026","Gov't Releases 87.7% of the P6.79-Trillion Budget but Lags Last Year's Pace as Infrastructure Spending Stays in a Slump","The Department of Budget and Management has released 87.7% of the P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget as of end-May — slower than the 90.4% disbursed a year earlier — even as the long-lagging DPWH finally received 96.6% of its allocation. But capital spending remains depressed: infrastructure and other capital outlays plunged 52% to P41.5 billion in April, the 10th straight monthly decline since the flood-control corruption scandal erupted.",6,"2026-06-21T22:10:21.312164Z","2026-06-21T22:10:21.312996Z",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":145},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"m2.25 12l8.955-8.955a1.124 1.124 0 0 1 1.59 0L21.75 12M4.5 9.75v10.125c0 .621.504 1.125 1.125 1.125H9.75v-4.875c0-.621.504-1.125 1.125-1.125h2.25c.621 0 1.125.504 1.125 1.125V21h4.125c.621 0 1.125-.504 1.125-1.125V9.75M8.25 21h8.25\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":147},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"m8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5l-7.5 7.5\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":149},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"M6.75 3v2.25M17.25 3v2.25M3 18.75V7.5a2.25 2.25 0 0 1 2.25-2.25h13.5A2.25 2.25 0 0 1 21 7.5v11.25m-18 0A2.25 2.25 0 0 0 5.25 21h13.5A2.25 2.25 0 0 0 21 18.75m-18 0v-7.5A2.25 2.25 0 0 1 5.25 9h13.5A2.25 2.25 0 0 1 21 11.25v7.5\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":151},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"M12 6v6h4.5m4.5 0a9 9 0 1 1-18 0a9 9 0 0 1 18 0\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":153},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M9.101 23.691v-7.98H6.627v-3.667h2.474v-1.58c0-4.085 1.848-5.978 5.858-5.978c.401 0 .955.042 1.468.103a9 9 0 0 1 1.141.195v3.325a9 9 0 0 0-.653-.036a27 27 0 0 0-.733-.009c-.707 0-1.259.096-1.675.309a1.7 1.7 0 0 0-.679.622c-.258.42-.374.995-.374 1.752v1.297h3.919l-.386 2.103l-.287 1.564h-3.246v8.245C19.396 23.238 24 18.179 24 12.044c0-6.627-5.373-12-12-12s-12 5.373-12 12c0 5.628 3.874 10.35 9.101 11.647\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":155},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":157,"hidden":158},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M20.447 20.452h-3.554v-5.569c0-1.328-.027-3.037-1.852-3.037c-1.853 0-2.136 1.445-2.136 2.939v5.667H9.351V9h3.414v1.561h.046c.477-.9 1.637-1.85 3.37-1.85c3.601 0 4.267 2.37 4.267 5.455v6.286zM5.337 7.433a2.06 2.06 0 0 1-2.063-2.065a2.064 2.064 0 1 1 2.063 2.065m1.782 13.019H3.555V9h3.564zM22.225 0H1.771C.792 0 0 .774 0 1.729v20.542C0 23.227.792 24 1.771 24h20.451C23.2 24 24 23.227 24 22.271V1.729C24 .774 23.2 0 22.222 0z\"/>",true,{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":160},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.472 14.382c-.297-.149-1.758-.867-2.03-.967c-.273-.099-.471-.148-.67.15c-.197.297-.767.966-.94 1.164c-.173.199-.347.223-.644.075c-.297-.15-1.255-.463-2.39-1.475c-.883-.788-1.48-1.761-1.653-2.059c-.173-.297-.018-.458.13-.606c.134-.133.298-.347.446-.52s.198-.298.298-.497c.099-.198.05-.371-.025-.52s-.669-1.612-.916-2.207c-.242-.579-.487-.5-.669-.51a13 13 0 0 0-.57-.01c-.198 0-.52.074-.792.372c-.272.297-1.04 1.016-1.04 2.479c0 1.462 1.065 2.875 1.213 3.074s2.096 3.2 5.077 4.487c.709.306 1.262.489 1.694.625c.712.227 1.36.195 1.871.118c.571-.085 1.758-.719 2.006-1.413s.248-1.289.173-1.413c-.074-.124-.272-.198-.57-.347m-5.421 7.403h-.004a9.87 9.87 0 0 1-5.031-1.378l-.361-.214l-3.741.982l.998-3.648l-.235-.374a9.86 9.86 0 0 1-1.51-5.26c.001-5.45 4.436-9.884 9.888-9.884c2.64 0 5.122 1.03 6.988 2.898a9.82 9.82 0 0 1 2.893 6.994c-.003 5.45-4.437 9.884-9.885 9.884m8.413-18.297A11.82 11.82 0 0 0 12.05 0C5.495 0 .16 5.335.157 11.892c0 2.096.547 4.142 1.588 5.945L.057 24l6.305-1.654a11.9 11.9 0 0 0 5.683 1.448h.005c6.554 0 11.89-5.335 11.893-11.893a11.82 11.82 0 0 0-3.48-8.413\"/>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":162},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" d=\"M13.19 8.688a4.5 4.5 0 0 1 1.242 7.244l-4.5 4.5a4.5 4.5 0 0 1-6.364-6.364l1.757-1.757m13.35-.622l1.757-1.757a4.5 4.5 0 0 0-6.364-6.364l-4.5 4.5a4.5 4.5 0 0 0 1.242 7.244\"/>"]