Situs of Income of Asiaweek Magazine

May 28, 1990 BIR RULING NO. 098-90 25 (b) (1) 000-00 098-90 Gentlemen : This refers to BIR Ruling No. 266-88 dated June 28, 1988 to the effect that since the printing and publication of the Asiaweek Magazine is done in HongKong, the situs of the income derived by the publisher, Asiaweek Limited from the sale to the Philippine subscribers of subscription copies of the magazine is HongKong; that as compensation for labor or personal services performed without the Philippines, under then Section 37(c) (3) [now Sec. 36(c)(3)] of the Tax Code, said subscription payments are considered income from sources without the Philippines; and that, since the publisher is a non-resident foreign corporation subject to income tax only on income from sources within the Philippines, said income consisting of subscription payments, earned by said publisher for services rendered in HongKong is not subject to Philippine income tax and consequently, not also subject to the 35% withholding tax prescribed under then Section 53(e) (2) [now Secs. 50(a) and 51] of the Tax Code as amended. In connection thereto, please be informed that after a re-study of the above ruling, this Office finds the same devoid of legal basis. The source of an income is the property, activity or service that produced the income. For the source of income to be considered as coming from the Philippines, it is sufficient that the income is derived from an activity within the Philippines. (Commissioner vs. British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and Court of Tax Appeals, G.R. Nos. 65773-74, April 30, 1987) Thus, the filling up of the subscription form by the Philippine subscriber to the Asiaweek Magazine is the activity that produced the income consisting of the subscription payments. Since the subscription payments were made here and therefore came from the Philippines, the source of the income is this country. The word "source" conveys one essential idea, that of origin, and the origin of the income herein is the Philippines. (Commissioner vs. British Overseas Airways Corp. (BOAC) and CTA, supra , citing Manila Gas Corp. vs. Collector, 62 Phil. 895) The fact that the foreign publisher, Asiaweek Limited, printed and published the magazine in HongKong, does not determine the source of income and the situs of Philippine taxation. Said BOAC case citing Howden & Co., Ltd. vs. Collector, 13 SCRA 601, said that the test of the taxability is the "source" and the source of an income is that activity which produced the income. As heretofore stated, the activity that produced the income is the filling up of the subscription form by the Philippine subscriber, as well as the payments for subscription also in the Philippines. In view thereof, the above ruling insofar as the income derived from the Philippines by the said foreign publisher is concerned consisting of the subscription payments by Philippine subscribers, has to be, as it is hereby revoked/modified. The subscription payments for the Asiaweek Magazines by Philippine subscribers are considered Philippine source income; hence, subject to Philippine income tax, and consequently to the 35% withholding tax prescribed by Section 25(b)(1) of the Tax Code in relation to Sections 50(a) and 51 of the same Code. aisadc Very truly yours, (SGD.) JOSE U. ONG Commissioner