Taxing vanity

[caption id='attachment_378277' width='130'] CASSANDRA ANDREIA GABION[/caption]

The first package of the current administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, otherwise known as Republic Act No. 10963, which took effect on January 1, 2018, includes the imposition of a 5 percent excise tax on invasive cosmetic procedures. Under Section 150-A of the TRAIN Law, taxpayers subjected to excise tax are now required to pay and remit to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) the 5 percent excise tax on gross receipts, net of excise tax and value added tax (VAT), derived from the performance of invasive cosmetic surgeries, procedures, and body enhancements for aesthetic purposes.