Domestic market enterprises regain their VAT zero-rating privileges

Have you ever wondered what goes through someone else’s_ mind when they wish to turn back time?

- JUSTINE BEA D. ALANO

You might say that you want to rectify past mistakes or explore whether their current circumstances might have turned out differently. More often than not, people tend to imagine themselves going back in time to somehow alter their present. Personally, I tend to advise against these ideas, as dwelling on what-could-have-beens often leads to frustration and prevents us from appreciating the beauty and value of one’s current life.

Still, if you were given the chance to revisit the past to clarify certain matters, would you take it? Would you turn back time?

Just as in the case of Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Inc. vs. Department of Finance, ete. (Subic Bay Freeport Case), the entitlement of Registered Business Enterprises (RBEs), specifically Domestic Market Enterprises (DMEs), to VAT-zero rating for local purchases has been revisited by the Supreme Court to provide clarity in the application of the law.

In this case, petitioners Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) and Benjamin Antonio, as taxpayers, filed a Petition for Declaratory Relief with an Application for Writ of Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction against respondents the Departments of Finance (DoF) and Trade and Industry (DTD, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Revenue District Office No. 19 (RDO 19) of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), collectively referred to herein as respondents.