By Joel M. Sy Egco

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is ready to start requiring taxis to issue receipts, a move that assures passengers’ safety and earns some P2 billion in annual taxes for the government.

LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion, in a pronouncement before the extended holiday break, said the change would not be made overnight.

“The Supreme Court said it is legal, therefore we will implement it gradually. No timetable, no pressure on the operators,” he said.

Lantion said receipts could be dispensed manually or through a device attached to the meter.

There are about 32,000 franchised taxi units in the country, 27,000 of which serve Metro Manila routes.

The meter that cost about P18,000 each should be registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Taxi units at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have started using meters capable of issuing receipts since 2007 while cabs with receipt-issuing meters rolled out in Capiz only in October last year.

The high tribunal had denied the petition of taxi operators to stop the LTFRB from implementing several memorandum orders that would require them to issue receipts to passengers.

The ruling upheld a finding of the Court of Appeals on the board’s Memorandum Circular 2003-10, 2003-020 and 2005-01 which imposed standards and regulations for taxi and mega taxi units, including the issuance of receipts, as legal and actually intended “to ensure passengers’ welfare and safety.”

Under the BIR plan, meters that print out receipts and have a memory feature will record the total monthly gross receipt of a taxicab.

With the setup, the agency can collect the 3-percent gross receipt tax on taxi operators to generate P2.2 billion in revenues yearly.

Lantion added that the scheme “will benefit everybody.”

Under the program, each receipt will indicate the name, address and telephone number of the taxi operator; plate number; date of the trip; actual time when the passenger boarded; distance of the trip (in kilometers); and fare amount.

Lantion said the taxi receipts would be issued at no additional cost to passengers, adding that the slip could also be used for transportation reimbursements by employees and executives.

For good measure, riders who leave their belongings behind will no longer worry because the receipts indicate details about the taxi.