The Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Finance Department have started running weekly ads in major newspapers and websites listing top-ranked restaurants based on TripAdvisor reviews along with the amount of tax each restaurant paid based on government figures.
The latest ad yesterday listed 40 top restaurants in metropolitan Manila's two cities, but only 17 of them were top tax payers the implication is the others may be cheating.
Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima has said the government is using statistics to reveal tax anomalies.
"We want to raise awareness about tax payments and ask the public if the numbers we observe make sense," he said.
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The tax bureau last year increased collection by 14.5 per cent and filed high-profile complaints, including one against boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and another against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's son. The complaint against Pacquiao was later dropped by the prosecutor.
A recent scandal involving the alleged plunder of millions of dollars of development funds intended for anti-poverty projects has led to street demonstrations. Last month, the Justice Department filed corruption complaints against three powerful senators, former lawmakers and a wealthy businesswoman who allegedly conspired to siphon off funds through dummy organisations.