SECOND DIVISION
KEPCO PHILIPPINES
CORPORATION, Petitioner, - versus - Commissioner
of Internal revenue,
Respondent. |
|
G.R. No. 181858 Present: CARPIO, J., Chairperson, NACHURA, PERALTA, ABAD, and MENDOZA, JJ. Promulgated: November 24, 2010 |
x --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x
D E C I S I O N
MENDOZA, J.:
This is a
petition for review on certiorari[1] under
Rule 45 of the Rules of Court seeking reversal of the February 20, 2008 Decision[2]
of the Court of Tax Appeals En Banc (CTA) in C.T.A. EB No. 299, which ruled that “in
order for petitioner to be entitled to its claim for refund/issuance of tax
credit certificate representing unutilized input VAT attributable to its
zero-rated sales for taxable year 2002, it must comply with the substantiation
requirements under the appropriate Revenue Regulations.”
Petitioner
KEPCO Philippines Corporation (Kepco) is a VAT-registered
independent power producer engaged in the business of generating
electricity. It exclusively sells
electricity to National Power Corporation (NPC), an entity exempt from taxes
under Section 13 of Republic Act No. 6395 (RA No. 6395).[3]
Records
show that on P3,285,308,055.85 itemized as follows:
Exhibit |
Quarter Involved |
Zero-Rated Sales |
B |
1st
Quarter |
|
C |
2nd
Quarter |
725,104,468.99 |
D |
3rd
Quarter |
952,053,527.29 |
E |
4th
Quarter |
956,477,387.10 ________________ |
|
Total |
|
In the course of doing business with NPC, Kepco
claimed expenses reportedly sustained in connection with the production and sale
of electricity with NPC. Based on Kepco’s
calculation, it paid input VAT amounting to P11,710,868.86 attributing the same to its zero-rated
sales of electricity with NPC. The table
shows the purchases and corresponding input VAT it paid.
Exhibit |
Quarter
Involved |
Purchases |
Input
VAT |
B |
1st Quarter |
|
|
C |
2nd Quarter |
18,410,193.20 |
1,841,019.32 |
D |
3rd Quarter |
16,811,819.21 |
1,681,181.93 |
E |
4th Quarter |
75,823,491.20 |
7,582,349.12
|
Thus, on
In its Answer,[8]
respondent CIR averred that claims for refund were strictly construed against
the taxpayer as it was similar to a tax exemption. It asserted that the burden to show that the
taxes were erroneous or illegal lay upon the taxpayer. Thus, failure on the part of Kepco to prove
the same was fatal to its cause of action because it was its duty to prove the
legal basis of the amount being claimed as a tax refund.
During the hearing, Kepco
presented court-commissioned Independent Certified Public Accountant, Victor O.
Machacon, who audited their bulky documentary evidence consisting of official
receipts, invoices and vouchers, to prove its claim for refund of unutilized
input VAT.[9]
On P3,285,308,055.85, Kepco was
only able to properly substantiate P1,451,788,865.52 as its zero-rated sales. After factoring, only 44.19% of the validly
supported input VAT payments being claimed could be considered.[10] The CTA Division used the following
computation in determining Kepco’s total allowable input VAT:
Substantiated zero-rated sales to NPC |
|
Divided by the total declared
zero-rated sales |
÷
3,285,308,055.85 |
Rate of substantiated zero-rated sales |
44.19%[11] |
Total Input VAT Claimed |
|
|
Less:Disallowance |
|
|
(a) Per verification of the independent
CPA |
|
|
(b) Per Court’s verification |
5,045,357.80 |
5,170,914.20 |
Validly Supported Input VAT |
|
|
Multiply by Rate of Substantiated
Zero-Rated Sales |
|
44.19% |
Total Allowed Input VAT |
|
|
The CTA Second
Division likewise disallowed the P5,170,914.20 of Kepco’s claimed
input VAT due to its failure to comply with the substantiation
requirement. Specifically, the CTA Second Division wrote:
[i]nput
VAT on purchases supported by invoices or official receipts stamped with
TIN-VAT shall be disallowed because these purchases are not supported by “VAT
Invoices” under the contemplation of the aforequoted invoicing requirement.
To be considered a “VAT Invoice,” the TIN-VAT must be printed, and not
merely stamped. Consequently, purchases
supported by invoices or official receipts, wherein the TIN-VAT are not printed
thereon, shall not give rise to any input VAT.
Likewise, input VAT on purchases supported by invoices or official
receipts which are not NON-VAT are disallowed because these invoices or official
receipts are not considered as “VAT Invoices.”
Hence, the claims for input VAT on purchases referred to in item (e) are
properly disallowed.[13]
Accordingly,
the CTA Second Division partially granted Kepco’s claim for refund of
unutilized input VAT for taxable year 2002.
The dispositive portion of the decision[14]
of the CTA Second Division reads:
WHEREFORE, petitioner’s claim for refund is hereby PARTIALLY
GRANTED. Accordingly, respondent is
ORDERED to REFUND petitioner the reduced amount of TWO MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED
NINETY THOUSAND FIVE PESOS AND 96/100 (P2,890,005.96)
representing unutilized input value-added tax for taxable year 2002.
SO
ORDERED.[15]
Kepco moved for partial reconsideration, but the CTA
Second Division denied
it in its
On appeal to the CTA En Banc,[17]
Kepco argued that the CTA Second Division erred in not considering P8,691,873.81 in addition to P2,890,005.96 as refundable
tax credit for Kepco’s zero-rated sales to NPC for taxable year 2002.
On
CTA Presiding Justice Ernesto Acosta
concurred with the majority in finding that Kepco’s claim could not be allowed
for lack of proper substantiation but expressed his dissent on the denial of
certain claims,[21]
to wit:
[I] dissent with regard to the denial of
the amount P4,720,725.63 for nothing
in the law allows the automatic invalidation of official
receipts/invoices which were not imprinted with “TIN-VAT;” and further
reduction of petitioner’s claim representing input VAT on purchase of goods not
supported by invoices in the amount of P64,509.50 and input VAT on
purchase of services not supported by official receipts in the amount of P256,689.98,
because the law makes use of invoices and official receipts
interchangeably. Both can validly
substantiate petitioner’s claim.[22]
Hence, this petition alleging the
following errors:
ASSIGNMENT
OF ERRORS
I.
THE COURT OF TAX APPEALS EN BANC
GRAVELY ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AMOUNTING TO LACK OR EXCESS OF JURISDICTION WHEN
IT HELD THAT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE INVOICING REQUIREMENT SHALL RESULT IN THE
AUTOMATIC DENIAL OF THE CLAIM.
II.
THE COURT OF TAX APPEALS EN BANC
GRAVELY ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AMOUNTING TO LACK OF EXCESS OF JURISDICTION WHEN
IT DISALLOWED PETITIONER’S
THE COURT OF TAX APPEALS EN BANC GRAVELY
ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT MADE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN INVOICES AND OFFICIAL
RECEIPTS AS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO CLAIM FOR AN INPUT VAT REFUND.[23]
At the
outset, the Court has noticed that although this petition is denominated as
Petition for Review on Certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, Kepco,
in its assignment of errors, impugns against the CTA En Banc grave abuse
of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, which are grounds in
a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court. Time and again, the Court has emphasized that
there is a whale of difference between a Rule 45 petition (Petition for Review on Certiorari) and a Rule 65 petition (Petition for Certiorari.) A Rule 65 petition is an original action that dwells on jurisdictional
errors of whether a lower court acted without or in excess of its jurisdiction
or with grave abuse of discretion.[24] A Rule 45 petition, on the other hand, is a
mode of appeal which centers on the review on the merits of a judgment, final
order or award rendered by a lower court involving purely questions of law.[25] Thus, imputing jurisdictional errors against
the CTA is not proper in this Rule 45 petition.
Kepco failed to follow the correct procedure. On this point alone, the
Court can deny the subject petition outright.
At any rate, even if the Court would disregard
this procedural flaw, the petition would still fail.
Kepco argues that the 1997 National
Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) does not require the
imprinting of the word zero-rated on invoices and/or official receipts covering
zero-rated sales.[26] It claims that Section 113 in relation to
Section 237 of the 1997 NIRC “does not mention the requirement of imprinting
the words ‘zero-rated’ to purchases covering zero-rated transactions.”[27] Only Section 4.108-1 of Revenue Regulation
No. 7-95 (RR No. 7-95) “required the imprinting of the word ‘zero-rated’
on the VAT invoice or receipt.”[28] “Thus, Section 4.108-1 of RR No. 7-95 cannot
be considered as a valid legislation considering the long settled rule that
administrative rules and regulations cannot expand the letter and spirit of the
law they seek to enforce.”[29]
The Court does not agree.
The issue of whether the word
“zero-rated” should be imprinted on invoices and/or official receipts as part
of the invoicing requirement has been settled in the case of Panasonic
Communications Imaging Corporation of the Philippines vs. Commissioner of
Internal Revenue[30]
and restated in the later case of J.R.A. Philippines, Inc. v.
Commissioner.[31] In the first case, Panasonic Communications
Imaging Corporation (Panasonic), a VAT-registered entity, was engaged in
the production and exportation of plain paper copiers and their parts and
accessories. From April 1998 to P9,368,482.40
that it attributed to its zero-rated sales. It filed applications for refund or
tax credit on what it had paid. The CTA
denied its application. Panasonic’s
export sales were subject to 0% VAT under Section 106(A)(2)(a)(1) of the 1997
NIRC but it did not qualify for zero-rating because the word “zero-rated” was
not printed on Panasonic’s export
invoices. This omission, according to the CTA, violated the invoicing
requirements of Section 4.108-1 of RR No. 7-95.
Panasonic argued, however, that “in requiring the printing on its sales
invoices of the word ‘zero-rated,’ the Secretary of Finance unduly expanded,
amended, and modified by a mere regulation (Section 4.108-1 of RR No. 7-95) the letter and spirit of Sections 113
and 237 of the 1997 NIRC, prior to their amendment by R.A. 9337.”[32] Panasonic stressed that Sections 113 and 237
did not necessitate the imprinting of the word “zero-rated” for its zero-rated
sales receipts or invoices. The BIR integrated this requirement only
after the enactment of R.A. No. 9337 on
Section
4.108-1 of RR 7-95 proceeds from the rule-making authority granted to the
Secretary of Finance under Section 245 of the 1977 NIRC (Presidential Decree
1158) for the efficient enforcement of the tax code and of course its
amendments. The requirement is reasonable and is in accord with the
efficient collection of VAT from the covered sales of goods and services.
As aptly explained by the CTA’s First Division, the appearance of the word
“zero-rated” on the face of invoices covering zero-rated sales prevents buyers
from falsely claiming input VAT from their purchases when no VAT was actually
paid. If, absent such word, a successful claim for input VAT is made, the
government would be refunding money it did not collect.
Further, the
printing of the word “zero-rated” on the invoice helps segregate sales that are
subject to 10% (now 12%) VAT from those sales that are zero-rated. Unable to submit the proper invoices, petitioner Panasonic
has been unable to substantiate its claim for refund.[33]
Following
said ruling, Section 4.108-1 of RR
7-95[34]
neither expanded nor supplanted the tax code but merely supplemented what the
tax code already defined and discussed. In
fact, the necessity of indicating “zero-rated” into VAT invoices/receipts became
more apparent when the provisions of this revenue regulation was later
integrated into RA No. 9337,[35]
the amendatory law of the 1997 NIRC. Section
113, in relation to Section 237 of the 1997 NIRC, as amended by RA No. 9337,
now reads:
SEC. 113. Invoicing and Accounting
Requirements for VAT-Registered Persons. -
(A) Invoicing Requirements. - A
VAT-registered person shall issue:
(1) A VAT invoice for every
sale, barter or exchange of goods or properties; and
(2) A VAT official receipt for
every lease of goods or properties, and for every sale, barter or exchange of
services.
(B) Information Contained in the VAT
Invoice or VAT Official Receipt. - The following information shall be
indicated in the VAT invoice or VAT official receipt:
(1) A statement that the seller is a
VAT-registered person, followed by his taxpayer's identification number (TIN);
(2) The total amount which the
purchaser pays or is obligated to pay to the seller with the indication that
such amount includes the value-added tax: Provided, That:
(a) The amount of the tax shall be
shown as a separate item in the invoice or receipt;
(b) If the sale is exempt from
value-added tax, the term "VAT-exempt sale" shall be written
or printed prominently on the invoice or receipt;
(c) If the sale is subject to zero
percent (0%) value-added tax, the term "zero-rated sale" shall
be written or printed prominently on the invoice or receipt;
(d) If the sale involves goods,
properties or services some of which are subject to and some of which are VAT
zero-rated or VAT-exempt, the invoice or receipt shall clearly indicate the
breakdown of the sale price between its taxable, exempt and zero-rated
components, and the calculation of the value-added tax on each portion of the
sale shall be shown on the invoice or receipt: Provided, That the seller
may issue separate invoices or receipts for the taxable, exempt, and zero-rated
components of the sale.
(3) The date of transaction, quantity,
unit cost and description of the goods or properties or nature of the service;
and
(4) In the case of sales in the amount
of one thousand pesos (P1,000) or more where the sale or transfer is made to a
VAT-registered person, the name, business style, if any, address and taxpayer
identification number (TIN) of the purchaser, customer or client.
(C) Accounting Requirements. -
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 233, all persons subject to the
value-added tax under Sections 106 and 108 shall, in addition to the regular
accounting records required, maintain a subsidiary sales journal and subsidiary
purchase journal on which the daily sales and purchases are recorded. The
subsidiary journals shall contain such information as may be required by the
Secretary of Finance.
x x x x
SEC. 237. Issuance of Receipts or
Sales or Commercial Invoices. - All persons subject to an internal revenue
tax shall, for each sale and transfer of merchandise or for services rendered
valued at Twenty-five pesos (P25.00) or more, issue duly registered
receipts or sale or commercial invoices, prepared at least in duplicate,
showing the date of transaction, quantity, unit cost and description of
merchandise or nature of service: Provided, however, That where the receipt is
issued to cover payment made as rentals, commissions, compensation or fees,
receipts or invoices shall be issued which shall show the name, business style,
if any, and address of the purchaser, customer or client.
The original of each receipt or invoice
shall be issued to the purchaser, customer or client at the time the
transaction is effected, who, if engaged in business or in the exercise of
profession, shall keep and preserve the same in his place of business for a
period of three (3) years from the close of the taxable year in which such
invoice or receipt was issued, while the duplicate shall be kept and preserved
by the issuer, also in his place of business, for a like period.
The
Commissioner may, in meritorious cases, exempt any person subject to an
internal revenue tax from compliance with the provisions of this Section.
[Emphases supplied]
Evidently,
as it failed to indicate in its VAT invoices and receipts that the transactions
were zero-rated, Kepco failed to comply with the correct substantiation
requirement for zero-rated transactions.
Kepco then
argues that non-compliance of invoicing requirements should not result in the
denial of the taxpayer’s refund claim.
Citing Atlas Consolidated Mining & Development Corporation vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue,[36]
it claims that a party who fails to issue VAT official receipts/invoices for
its sales should only be imposed penalties as provided under Section 264 of the
1997 NIRC.[37]
The Court has read the Atlas
decision, and has not come across any categorical ruling that refund should be
allowed for those who had not complied with the substantiation requirements. It
merely recited “Section 263” which provided for penalties in case of “Failure or refusal to Issue Receipts or Sales
or Commercial Invoices, Violations related to the Printing of such Receipts or
Invoices and Other Violations.” It does
not categorically say that the claimant should be refunded. At any rate, Section
264 (formerly Section 263)[38]
of the 1997 NIRC was not intended to excuse the compliance of the substantive
invoicing requirement needed to justify a claim for refund on input VAT
payments.
Furthermore,
Kepco insists that Section 4.108.1 of Revenue Regulation 07-95 does not require
the word “TIN-VAT” to be imprinted on a VAT-registered person’s supporting
invoices and official receipts[39]
and so there is no reason for the denial of its P4,720,725.63 claim of
input tax.[40]
In this
regard, Internal Revenue Regulation 7-95 (Consolidated Value-Added Tax
Regulations) is clear. Section 4.108-1 thereof reads:
Only VAT registered persons are required to
print their TIN followed by the word “VAT” in their invoice or receipts and
this shall be considered as a “VAT” Invoice.
All purchases covered by invoices other than ‘VAT Invoice’ shall not
give rise to any input tax.
Contrary
to Kepco’s allegation, the regulation specifically requires the VAT registered
person to imprint TIN-VAT on its invoices or receipts. Thus, the Court agrees with the CTA when it wrote:
“[T]o be considered a ‘VAT invoice,’ the TIN-VAT must be printed, and not
merely stamped. Consequently, purchases
supported by invoices or official receipts, wherein the TIN-VAT is not printed
thereon, shall not give rise to any input VAT.
Likewise, input VAT on purchases supported by invoices or official
receipts which are NON-VAT are disallowed because these invoices or official
receipts are not considered as ‘VAT Invoices.’”[41]
Kepco further
argues that under Section 113(A) of the 1997 NIRC, invoices and official
receipts are used interchangeably for purposes of substantiating input VAT.[42] Hence,
it claims that the CTA should have accepted its substantiation of input VAT on
(1) P64,509.50 on purchases of goods with official receipts and (2) P256,689.98
on purchases of services with invoices.[43]
The Court
is not persuaded.
Under the
law, a VAT invoice is necessary
for every sale, barter or exchange of goods or properties while a VAT
official receipt properly pertains
to every lease of goods or properties, and for every sale, barter or exchange
of services.[44] In Commissioner
of Internal Revenue v. Manila Mining Corporation,[45]
the Court distinguished an invoice from a receipt, thus:
A
“sales or commercial invoice” is a written account of goods sold or services
rendered indicating the prices charged therefor or a list by whatever name it
is known which is used in the ordinary course of business evidencing sale and
transfer or agreement to sell or transfer goods and services.
A
“receipt” on the other hand is a written acknowledgment of the fact of payment
in money or other settlement between seller and buyer of goods, debtor or
creditor, or person rendering services and client or customer.
In other words, the VAT invoice is the seller’s best proof of
the sale of the goods or services to the buyer while the VAT receipt is the buyer’s
best evidence of the payment of goods or services received from the seller. Even though VAT invoices and receipts are
normally issued by the supplier/seller alone, the said invoices and receipts,
taken collectively, are necessary to substantiate the actual amount or quantity
of goods sold and their selling price (proof of transaction), and the
best means to prove the input VAT payments (proof of payment).[46] Hence, VAT invoice and VAT receipt should not
be confused as referring to one and the same thing. Certainly, neither does the law intend the
two to be used alternatively.
Although
it is true that the CTA is not strictly governed by technical rules of
evidence,[47] the
invoicing and substantiation requirements must, nevertheless, be followed
because it is the only way to determine the veracity of Kepco’s claims. Verily, the CTA En Banc correctly
disallowed the input VAT that did not meet the required standard of
substantiation.
The CTA is devoted exclusively to the
resolution of tax-related issues and has unmistakably acquired an expertise on
the subject matter. In the absence of
abuse or reckless exercise of authority,[48]
the CTA En Banc’s decision should be upheld.
The Court
has always decreed that tax refunds are in the nature of tax exemptions which
represent a loss of revenue to the government. These exemptions,
therefore, must not rest on vague, uncertain or indefinite inference, but
should be granted only by a clear and unequivocal provision of law on the basis
of language too plain to be mistaken. Such exemptions must be strictly construed against the
taxpayer, as taxes are the lifeblood of the government.[49]
WHEREFORE, the petition is DENIED.
SO ORDERED.
JOSE
CATRAL
Associate Justice
WE CONCUR:
ANTONIO T. CARPIO
Associate
Justice
Chairperson
ANTONIO EDUARDO B. NACHURA DIOSDADO
M. PERALTA
Associate Justice Associate Justice
ROBERTO A.
ABAD
Associate
Justice
A T T E S T A T I O N
I attest that the conclusions in the
above Decision had been reached in consultation before the case was assigned to
the writer of the opinion of the Court’s Division.
ANTONIO T.
CARPIO
Associate Justice
Chairperson, Second Division
C E R T I F I C A T I O N
Pursuant to Section 13, Article VIII of
the Constitution and the Division Chairperson’s Attestation, I certify that the
conclusions in the above Decision had been reached in consultation before the
case was assigned to the writer of the opinion of the Court’s Division.
RENATO C. CORONA
Chief
Justice
[1] Rollo, pp. 16-99.
[2]
[3] An Act Revising the Charter of the National Power Corporation.
[4] Rollo,
p. 101.
[5]
[6] Records, pp. 17-21.
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10] Rollo, pp. 284-285.
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17] Records, Volume II, pp. 10-30.
[18] Rollo, pp. 100-120.
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24] Rules
of Court, Rule 65, Section 1.
[25] De
Castro v. Fernandez, Jr., G.R. No. 155041,
[26] Rollo, p. 28.
[27]
[28]
[29]
[30] G.R.
No. 178090,
[31] G.R. No. 177127,
[32] Panasonic Communications Imaging Corporation of the Philippines v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, G.R. No. 178090, February 8, 2010, 612 SCRA 28, 36-37.
[33]
[34]
Section
4.108.-1. Invoicing Requirements.-
All VAT registered
persons shall for every sale or lease of goods or properties or services, issue
duly registered receipts or sales or commercial invoices which must show:
1.
the name, TIN and address of seller;
2.
date of transaction;
3.
quantity, unit cost and description of merchandise or nature of services;
4.
the name, TIN, business style, if any, and address of service;
5.
the word ‘zero-rated’ imprinted on the invoice covering zero-rated sales;
and
6.
the invoice value or consideration.
X x x
Only VAT registered
persons are required to print their TIN followed by the word ‘VAT’ in their
invoice or receipts and this shall be considered as a “VAT Invoice.” All purchases covered by invoices other than
‘VAT Invoice’ shall not give rise to any input tax.
If the taxable
person is also engaged in exempt operations, he should issue separate invoices
or receipts for the taxable and exempt operations. A “VAT Invoice” shall be issued only for
sales of goods, properties or services subject to VAT imposed in Sections 100
and 102 of the Code.
The invoice or
receipt shall be prepared at least in duplicate, the original to be given to
the buyer and the duplicate to be retained by the seller as part of his
accounting records.
[35] An
Act Amending Sections 27, 28, 34,
106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 119, 121, 148, 151, 236,
237 and 288 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, and for
other purposes.
[36] 376 Phil. 495 (1999).
[37] Rollo, p. 58.
[38] Paragraph (b) (4) has been deleted.
[39] Rollo, p. 71.
[40]
[41]
[42]
[43]
[44] Section 113, 1997 National Internal
Revenue Code, as amended.
[45] 505
Phil. 650, 665 (2005), citing Deoferio and Mamalateo, The Value Added Tax in
the
[46] Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Manila Mining Corporation, 505 Phil. 650, 666 (2005).
[47] Section 8, R.A. No. 1125 entitled “An Act Creating the Court of Tax Appeals,” as amended.
[48] KEPCO Philippines Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, G.R. No. 179356, December 14, 2009, 608 SCRA 207, 214 citing Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Cebu Toyo Corporation, 491 Phil. 625, 640 (2005).
[49] Silkair (