Philippines Ranks Restaurants for Taxes, Not Food

Next time you eat out in the Philippines, you might want to check the government's restaurant guide. It doesn't tell you where the best food is, but if you're possibly patronizing a tax cheat.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 Wednesday listed 40 top restaurants in metropolitan Manila, but only 17 of them were top tax payers -- the implication is the others may be cheating.
The Philippines has clamped down on rampant tax evasion, including a "Tax Watch" campaign targeting restaurants, shops, doctors, lawyers and others, in a bid to increase revenue.