QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 160)
It was issued by the President (Manuel L. Quezon) “by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and the existing laws,” as stated in the preamble/whereas-to-nowhere section of EO 160.
The Tax Commission shall be composed of seven (7) members, appointed by the President from time to time.
They must represent not only the Executive and Legislative branches of government, but also private business.
To study and make recommendations to the President on (a) probable annual fiscal needs for the next ten years; (b) revision of the internal tax system; (c) changes in tariff laws; (d) distribution of revenue sources between national and local governments; and (e) a system of tax administration to ensure proper enforcement of tax laws.
It must study and recommend the probable annual fiscal needs of the Government during the coming ten (10) years to provide revenues sufficient to meet such needs.
To ensure adequate revenues and a more equitable distribution of the tax burden, considering the probable effects of the Independence Act on various sources of public revenue.
To recommend changes in the tariff laws to make more effective the assessment of customs duties and to aid economic adjustment and the development of Philippine industries.
It must recommend the distribution of sources of revenue between the National Government and the provincial, municipal, and city governments so that each political unit has adequate revenues for its functions.
To recommend a system of tax administration that will insure the proper enforcement of tax laws.
It is granted all the powers of an investigating commission, within the purview of Section 71 of the Revised Administrative Code.
It may requisition for and make use of the services of personnel of the Budget Office, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, or other government employees, for its purposes, but “subject to the approval of the President.”
No special consent is stated for access; EO 160 provides that it shall have access at all times to any documents, data, papers, etc., in possession of any department/bureau/office/agency of the Commonwealth that may be necessary for its work.
The Budget Office, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, or any other officers or employees of the government of the Commonwealth.
That the national and local tax system is, in some respects, obsolete; does not distribute the tax burden equitably; and is inadequate to meet present and prospective expanding government needs.
It states the revision is more urgent because of impending political and economic changes due to the operation of the Independence Act, requiring both fiscal and economic adjustments.