G.R. No. 197526. July 26, 2017.*

 
CE LUZON GEOTHERMAL POWER COMPANY, INC.,
petitioner, vs. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL
REVENUE, respondent.
 
G.R. Nos. 199676-77. July 26, 2017.*
 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, represented by the
BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE, petitioner, vs. CE
LUZON GEOTHERMAL POWER COMPANY, INC.,
respondent.

Taxation; Input Value-Added Tax; Ordinarily, Value-Added

Tax (VAT)-registered entities are liable to pay excess output tax if
their input tax is less than their output tax at any given taxable
quarter. However, if the input tax is greater than the output tax,
VAT-registered persons can carry over the excess input tax to the
succeeding taxable quarter or quarters.—Excess input tax or
creditable input

_______________

*  SECOND DIVISION.
  
 
590

590 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

tax is not an erroneously, excessively, or illegally collected

tax.  Hence, it is Section 112(C) and not Section 229 of the
National Internal Revenue Code that governs claims for refund of
creditable input tax. The tax credit system allows a VAT-
registered entity to “credit against or subtract from the VAT
charged on its sales or outputs the VAT paid on its purchases,
inputs and imports.” The VAT paid by a VAT-registered entity on
its imports and purchases of goods and services from another
VAT-registered entity refers to input tax.  On the other hand,
output tax refers to the VAT due on the sale of goods, properties,
or services of a VAT-registered person. Ordinarily, VAT-
registered entities are liable to pay excess output tax if their input
tax is less than their output tax at any given taxable quarter.
However, if the input tax is greater than the output tax, VAT-
registered persons can carry over the excess input tax to the
succeeding taxable quarter or quarters.
Same; Tax Refunds; A claim for refund of excessively or
erroneously collected taxes should be made within two (2) years
from the date the taxes are paid.—A claim for refund of
excessively or erroneously collected taxes should be made within
two (2) years from the date the taxes are paid. Both the
administrative and judicial claims should be brought within the
two (2)-year prescriptive period. Otherwise, they shall forever be
barred.  However, Section 229 presupposes that the taxes sought
to be refunded were wrongfully paid.
Same; Input Value-Added Tax; If the excess input tax is
derived from zero-rated or effectively zero-rated transactions, the
taxpayer may either seek a refund of the excess or apply the excess
against its other internal revenue tax.—It is unnecessary to
construe and harmonize Sections 112(C) and 229 of the National
Internal Revenue Code. Excess input tax or creditable input tax is
not an excessively, erroneously, or illegally collected tax because
the taxpayer pays the proper amount of input tax at the time it is
collected. That a VAT-registered taxpayer incurs excess input tax
does not mean that it was wrongfully or erroneously paid. It
simply means that the input tax is greater than the output tax,
entitling the taxpayer to carry over the excess input tax to the
succeeding taxable quarters.  If the excess input tax is derived
from zero-rated or effectively zero-rated transactions, the
taxpayer may either seek a refund of the excess or apply the
excess against its other internal revenue tax.

 
 

591

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 591

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

Same; Statutory Construction; Although the Bureau of

Internal Revenue (BIR) Ruling DA-489-03 is an “erroneous
interpretation of the law,” the Supreme Court (SC) made an
exception explaining that “[t]axpayers should not be prejudiced by
an erroneous interpretation by the Commissioner, particularly on
a difficult question of law.”—Commissioner of Internal Revenue v.
San Roque Power Corp., 690 SCRA 336 (2013),  exempted
taxpayers who had relied on the Bureau of Internal Revenue
Ruling DA-489-03 from the strict application of Section 112(C) of
the National Internal Revenue Code. This Court characterized the
Bureau of Internal Revenue Ruling DA-489-03 as a general
interpretative rule,  which has “misle[d] all taxpayers into filing
prematurely judicial claims with the C[ourt] [of] T[ax]
A[ppeals].” Although the Bureau of Internal Revenue Ruling DA-
489-03 is an “erroneous interpretation of the law,”  this Court
made an exception explaining that “[t]axpayers should not be
prejudiced by an erroneous interpretation by the Commissioner,
particularly on a difficult question of law.”
Remedial Law; Civil Procedure; Appeals; Petition for Review
on Certiorari; Unless a case falls under any of the exceptions, the
Supreme Court (SC) will not undertake a factual review and look
into the parties’ evidence and weigh them anew.—In a Rule 45
Petition, only questions of law may be raised. “This Court is not a
trier of facts.”  The determination of whether CE Luzon duly
substantiated its claim for refund of creditable input tax for the
second quarter of taxable year 2003 is a factual matter that is
generally beyond the scope of a Petition for Review on Certiorari.
Unless a case falls under any of the exceptions, this Court will not
undertake a factual review and look into the parties’ evidence and
weigh them anew.

PETITIONS for review on certiorari of an amended

decision of the Court of Tax Appeals En Banc.
The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.

LEONEN, J.:
 
The 120-day and 30-day reglementary periods under
Section 112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code are
both mandatory and jurisdictional. Noncompliance with
these
 
 

592

592 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

periods renders a judicial claim for refund of creditable

input tax premature.
Before this Court are two (2) consolidated Petitions for
Review concerning the prescriptive period in filing judicial
claims for unutilized creditable input tax or input Value
Added Tax (VAT).
The first Petition,1  docketed as G.R. No. 197526, was
filed by CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. (CE
Luzon) against the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The
second Petition,2  docketed as G.R. Nos. 199676-77, was
instituted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, on behalf of
the Republic of the Philippines, against CE Luzon.
CE Luzon is a domestic corporation engaged in the
energy industry.3  It owns and operates the CE Luzon
Geothermal Power Plant, which generates power for sale to
the Philippine National Oil Company-Energy Development
Corporation by virtue of an energy conversion
agreement.4  CE Luzon is a VAT-registered taxpayer with
Tax Identification Number 003-924-356-000.5
The sale of generated power by generation companies is
a zero-rated transaction under Section 6 of Republic Act
No. 9136.6
In the course of its operations, CE Luzon incurred
unutilized creditable input tax amounting to
P26,574,388.99 for

_______________

1  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), pp. 14-90.

2  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), pp. 10-38.
3  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), p. 21, Petition for Review on Certiorari.
4  Id.
5  Id., at p. 20.
6  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), p. 15.
Rep. Act No. 9136, Sec. 6, par. 5 provides: 
Section 6. Generation Sector.—
. . . .
Pursuant to the objective of lowering electricity rates to end-users,
sales of generated power by generation companies shall be value added
tax zero-rated.

 
 
593

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 593

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

taxable year 2003.7  This amount was duly reflected in its

amended quarterly VAT returns.8  CE Luzon then filed
before the Bureau of Internal Revenue an administrative
claim for refund of its unutilized creditable input tax as
follows:
Without waiting for the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue to act on its claim, or for the expiration of 120
days, CE Luzon instituted before the Court of Tax Appeals
a judicial claim for refund of its first quarter unutilized
creditable input tax on March 30, 2005.10 The petition was
docketed as CTA Case No. 7180.11
Meanwhile, on June 24, 2005, CE Luzon received the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue’s decision denying its
claim for refund of creditable input tax for the second
quarter of 2003.12
On June 30, 2005, CE Luzon filed before the Court of
Tax Appeals a judicial claim for refund of unutilized
creditable input tax for the second to fourth quarters of
taxable year 2003.13 The petition was docketed as CTA
Case No. 7279.14
_______________

7   Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), p. 22.

8   Id., at pp. 21-22.
9   Id., at p. 22.
10  Id., at p. 217, Comment.
11  Id.
12  Id., at p. 216.
13  Id., at p. 217.
14  Id.

 
 
594

594 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

The material dates are summarized below:

Period of Date of Date of

Date of Filing Expiration
Claim Receipt of Filing of
Administrative of 120
Taxable Year Denial of Petition for
Claim days
2003 Claim Review
January 20, May 20, March 30,
1st quarter -
2005 2005 2005
June 24,
2nd quarter May 31, 2005 - June 30, 2005
2005
October 5,
3rd quarter June 7, 2005 - June 30, 2005
2005
October 5, June 30,
4th quarter June 7, 2005 - 200515
2005

 
In his Answer,16 the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
asserted, among others, that CE Luzon failed to comply
with the invoicing requirements under the law.17
In the Decision18 dated April 21, 2009, the Court of Tax
Appeals Second Division partially granted CE Luzon’s
claim for unutilized creditable input tax. It ruled that both
the administrative and judicial claims of CE Luzon were
brought within the two (2)-year prescriptive
19
period.   However, the Court of Tax Appeals Second
Division disallowed the amount of P3,084,874.35 to be
refunded.20  CE Luzon was only able to substantiate
P22,647,638.47 of its claim.21  The Court of Tax Appeals
Second Division ordered the Commissioner of Inter-
_______________

15  Id.
16  Id., at p. 110.
17  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), pp. 17-19.
18  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), pp. 107-126. The Decision was penned by
Associate Justice Erlinda P. Uy and concurred in by Associate Justices
Juanito C. Castañeda, Jr. and Olga Palanca-Enriquez of the Second
Division, Court of Tax Appeals, Quezon City.
19  Id., at pp. 124-125.
20  Id., at p. 23.
21  Id., at p. 119.

 
 
595

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 595

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

nal Revenue to issue a tax credit certificate or to refund CE

Luzon the amount of P22,647,638.47 representing CE
Luzon’s creditable input tax for taxable year 2003.22
CE Luzon and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
both moved for reconsideration.23 In the Resolution24 dated
October 19, 2009, the Court of Tax Appeals Second Division
denied both motions for lack of merit.
CE Luzon and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
then filed their respective Petitions for Review before the
Court of Tax Appeals En Banc. The Petitions were
docketed as C.T.A. E.B. No. 553 and C.T.A. E.B. No. 554,
respectively.25
In the Decision26  dated July 20, 2010, the Court of Tax
Appeals En Banc partially granted CE Luzon’s Petition for
Review.27  The Court of Tax Appeals En Banc ordered the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue to issue a tax credit
certificate or to refund CE Luzon the amount of
P23,489,514.64, representing CE Luzon’s duly
substantiated creditable input tax for taxable year 2003.28
However, on November 22, 2010, the Court of Tax
Appeals En Banc rendered an Amended Decision,29 setting
aside its

_______________
 22  Id., at p. 125.
23  Id., at p. 23.
24  Id., at pp. 128-133.
25  Id., at pp. 23-24.
26  Id., at pp. 136-162. The Decision was penned by Associate Justice
Olga Palanca-Enriquez and concurred in by Associate Justices Juanito C.
Castañeda, Jr., Lovell R. Bautista, Caesar A. Casanova, Esperanza R.
Fabon-Victorino, and Cielito N. Mindaro-Grulla. Presiding Justice Ernesto
D. Acosta dissented while Associate Justices Erlinda P. Uy and Amelia R.
Cotangco-Manalastas were on leave.
27  Id., at p. 160.
28  Id., at pp. 160-161.
29  Id., at pp. 171-179. The Decision was penned by Associate Justice
Olga Palanca-Enriquez and concurred in by Presiding Justice Ernesto D.
Acosta, Associate Justices Juanito C. Castañeda, Jr., Erlinda P. Uy,
Caesar A. Casanova, Esperanza R. Fabon-Victorino,

 
 
596

596 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

Decision dated July 20, 2010.30  The Court of Tax Appeals

En Banc ruled that CE Luzon failed to observe the 120-day
period under Section 112(C) of the National Internal
Revenue Code. Hence, it was barred from claiming a refund
of its input VAT for taxable year 2003.31 The Court of Tax
Appeals En Banc held that CE Luzon’s judicial claims were
prematurely filed.32  CE Luzon should have waited either
for the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to render a
decision or for the 120-day period to expire before
instituting its judicial claim for refund:33

WHEREFORE, premises considered:

1) the Commissioner of Internal Revenue’s “Motion for
Reconsideration” is hereby GRANTED. Accordingly, our
Decision dated July 20, 2010 in the above[-]captioned case is
hereby RECALLED and SET ASIDE, and a new one is hereby
entered DISMISSING CE Luzon’s Petition for Review in C.T.A.
EB No. 553 and GRANTING CIR’s Petition for Review in
C.T.A. E.B. No. 554. Accordingly, the Decision dated April 21,
2009 and Resolution dated October 19, 2009 rendered by the
 Former Second Division in C.T.A. CASE Nos. 7180 and 7279
are hereby REVERSED and SET ASIDE.
2) For being moot and academic, CE LUZON’s “Motion for Partial
Reconsideration” is hereby DENIED.
SO ORDERED.34

_______________

Cielito N. Mindaro-Grulla and Amelia R. Cotangco-Manalastas. Associate

Justice Lovell R. Bautista dissented.
30  Id., at pp. 25-26.
31  Id., at pp. 173-174.
32  Id., at p. 176.
33  Id.
34  Id., at pp. 178-179.

 
 

597

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 597

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

CE Luzon moved for partial reconsideration.35 On June

27, 2011, the Court of Tax Appeals En Banc rendered a
second Amended Decision,36 partially granting CE Luzon’s
claim for unutilized creditable input tax but only for the
second quarter of taxable year 2003 and only up to the
extent of P3,764,386.47.37  The Court of Tax Appeals En
Banc relied on  Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Aichi
Forging Company of Asia, Inc.38  in partially granting the
petition.
The Court of Tax Appeals En Banc found that CE
Luzon’s judicial claim for refund of input tax for the second
quarter of 2003 was timely filed.39  However, the Court of
Tax Appeals En Banc disallowed P804,072.02 to be
refunded because of CE Luzon’s noncompliance with the
documentation and invoicing requirements:40

WHEREFORE, premises considered, CE Luzon Geothermal

Power Company, Inc.’s “Motion for Reconsideration” is PARTLY
GRANTED. Accordingly, our Amended Decision dated November
22, 2010 only insofar as it dismissed CE Luzon Geothermal Power
Company, Inc.’s 2nd  quarter claim, is hereby LIFTED and SET
ASIDE, and another one is hereby entered ordering the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue to REFUND or to ISSUE A
TAX CREDIT CERTIFICATE in favor of CE Luzon Geothermal
Power, Inc. in the reduced amount of THREE MILLION SEVEN
HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR

_______________

35  Id., at p. 26.
36   Id., at pp. 91-105. The Decision was penned by Associate Justice
Olga Palanca-Enriquez and concurred in by Presiding Justice Ernesto D.
Acosta, Associate Justices Juanito C. Castañeda, Jr., Erlinda P. Uy,
Caesar A. Casanova, Esperanza R. Fabon-Victorino, Cielito N. Mindaro-
Grulla, and Amelia R. Cotangco-Manalastas. Associate Justice Lovell R.
Bautista dissented.
37  Id., at p. 104.
38   Id., at p. 95. 646 Phil. 710; 632 SCRA 422 (2010) [Per J. Del
Castillo, First Division].
39  Id., at p. 101.
40  Id., at pp. 101-103.

 
 

598

598 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY-SIX AND 47/100

PESOS (P3,764,386.47), representing its unutilized input VAT for
the second quarter of taxable year 2003.
SO ORDERED.41

 
On September 2, 2011, CE Luzon filed before this Court
a Petition for Review on Certiorari42 challenging the second
Amended Decision dated June 27, 2011 of the Court of Tax
Appeals En Banc.43 The Petition was docketed as G.R. No.
197526.44
On January 27, 2012, the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue filed a Petition for Review on
45
Certiorari   assailing the second Amended Decision dated
June 27, 2011 and the Resolution dated December 1, 2011
of the Court of Tax Appeals En Banc46 insofar as it granted
CE Luzon’s second quarter claim for refund.47 The Petition
was docketed as G.R. Nos. 199676-77.48
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue filed a Comment
on the Petition for Review49  in G.R. No. 197526 on
February 7, 2012.
On April 11, 2012, the Petitions were consolidated.50
In the Resolution dated August 1, 2012, CE Luzon was
required to file a comment on the Petition in G.R. Nos.
199676-77 and a reply to the comment in G.R. No.
197526.51
On November 14, 2012, CE Luzon filed its Comment on
the Petition in G.R. Nos. 199676-7752  and its Reply to the
comment on the Petition in G.R. No. 197526.53

_______________

41  Id., at p. 104.
42  Id., at pp. 14-90.
43  Id., at p. 27.
44  Id., at p. 14.
45  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), pp. 10-38.
46  Id., at p. 11.
47  Id., at p. 33.
48  Id., at p. 10.
49  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), pp. 214-242.
50  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), pp. 343-344.
51  Id., at p. 345.
52  Id., at pp. 358-375.

 
 

599

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 599

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

In the Resolution54 dated June 26, 2013, this Court gave

due course to the petitions and required the parties to
submit their respective memoranda. Meanwhile, on July
19, 2013, CE Luzon filed a Supplement to its Petition.55
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue filed his
Memorandum56  on September 16, 2013 while CE Luzon
filed its Memorandum57 on September 20, 2013.
 In its Petition docketed as G.R. No. 197526, CE Luzon
asserts that its judicial claims for refund of input VAT
attributable to its zero-rated sales were timely
filed.58  Relying on  Atlas Consolidated Mining and
Development Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal
Revenue,59  CE Luzon argues that the two (2)-year
prescriptive period under Section 229 of the National
Internal Revenue Code60 governs both the adminis-

_______________

53  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), pp. 269-308.

54  Id., at pp. 323-323A.

55  Id., at pp. 328-339.
56  Id., at pp. 344-366.
57  Id., at pp. 368-405.
58  Id., at p. 28.
59   551 Phil. 519; 524 SCRA 73 (2007) [Per J. Chico-Nazario, Third
Division].
60  TAX CODE, Sec. 229 provides:
Section 229. Recovery of Tax Erroneously or Illegally Collected.—No
suit or proceeding shall be maintained in any court for the recovery of any
national internal revenue tax hereafter alleged to have been erroneously
or illegally assessed or collected, or of any penalty claimed to have been
collected without authority, or of any sum alleged to have been excessively
or in any manner wrongfully collected, until a claim for refund or credit
has been duly filed with the Commissioner; but such suit or proceeding
may be maintained, whether or not such tax, penalty, or sum has been
paid under protest or duress.
In any case, no such suit or proceeding shall be filed after the
expiration of two (2) years from the date of payment of the tax or penalty
regardless of any supervening cause that may arise after payment:
Provided, however, That the Commissioner may, even without a written
claim therefor, refund or credit any tax, where on

 
 

600

600 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
trative and judicial claims for refund of creditable input
tax.61 CE Luzon contends that creditable input tax
attributable to zero-rated sales is excessively collected
tax.62
CE Luzon asserts that since the prescriptive periods in
Section 112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code are
merely permissive, it should yield to Section
229.63  Moreover, Section 112(C) does not state that a
taxpayer is barred from filing a judicial claim for
noncompliance with the 120-day period.64
CE Luzon emphasizes that the doctrine in Atlas directly
addressed the correlation between Section 229 and Section
112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code. Atlas stated
that a taxpayer seeking a refund of input VAT may invoke
Section 229 because input VAT was an “erroneously
collected national internal revenue tax.”65 CE Luzon points
out that  Aichi  never established a binding rule regarding
the prescriptive periods in filing claims for refund of
creditable input tax.66
Assuming that  Aichi  correctly interpreted Section
112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code, CE Luzon
states that it should not be applied in this case because CE
Luzon’s claims for refund were filed
67
before  Aichi’s  promulgation.   The prevailing rule at the
time when CE Luzon instituted its judicial claim for refund
was that both the administrative and judicial claims should
be filed within two (2) years from the date the tax is paid.68

_______________

the face of the return upon which payment was made, such payment
appears clearly to have been erroneously paid.
61  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), p. 28.
62  Id., at pp. 39-42.
63  Id., at pp. 43-45.
64  Id., at p. 45.
65  Id., at p. 53.
66  Id., at p. 50.
67  Id., at pp. 301-303.
68  Id., at p. 39.

 
 

601
 VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 601
CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

In any case, CE Luzon argues that the Commissioner of

Internal Revenue is estopped from assailing the timeliness
of its judicial claims.69  The Commissioner of Internal
Revenue categorically stated in several of its rulings that
taxpayers need not wait for the expiration of 120 days
before instituting a judicial claim for refund of creditable
input tax.70  CE Luzon relies on the following Bureau of
Internal Revenue issuances: (1) Section 4.104-2, Revenue
Regulations No. 7-95; (2) Revenue Memorandum Circular
No. 42-99; (3) Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 42-2003,
as amended by Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 49-
2003; (4) Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 29-2009; and
(5) Bureau of Internal Revenue Ruling DA-489-03.71
On the other hand, the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue argues that Sections 112(C) and 229 of the
National Internal Revenue Code need not be harmonized
because they are clear and explicit.72  Laws should only be
construed if they are “ambiguous or doubtful in
meaning.”73  Section 112(C) clearly provides that in claims
for refund of creditable input tax, taxpayers can only
elevate their judicial claim upon receipt of the decision
denying their administrative claim or upon the lapse of 120
days.74 Moreover, the tax covered in Section 112 is different
from the tax in Section 229. Section 112(C) covers
unutilized input tax. In contrast, Section 229 pertains to
national internal revenue tax that is erroneously or
illegally collected.75
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue further contends
that CE Luzon’s reliance on  Atlas  is
76
misplaced.  Atlas neither directly nor indirectly raised the
issue of prescriptive periods

_______________

69  Id., at p. 66.
70  Id.
71  Id., at pp. 66-67.
72  Id., at pp. 225-231. The Commissioner meant Section 112(C) in her
Comment which mentioned Section 112(D) instead.
73  Id., at p. 227.
74  Id., at p. 229.
 75  Id.
76  Id., at pp. 234-235.

 
 
602

602 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

in filing claims for refund of input VAT. In

addition,  Atlas  was decided under the old tax code.77  The
clear and categorical precedent regarding the issue of
prescriptive periods in refunds of input VAT is Aichi.78
Although the Bureau of Internal Revenue has ruled that
judicial claims for refund of input VAT may be brought
within the two (2)-year period under Section 229, the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue asserts that the State
cannot be estopped by the errors or mistakes of its
agents.79  An erroneous construction does not create a
vested right on those who have relied on it. Taxpayers can
neither prevent the correction of the erroneous
interpretation nor excuse themselves from compliance.80
According to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
taxpayers should comply with the provisions of Sections
236, 110(A), 113, and 114 of the National Internal Revenue
Code when claiming a refund of unutilized creditable input
tax. They should also meet the requirements enumerated
under the relevant Bureau of Internal Revenue
regulations. Moreover, it must be proven that the input tax
being claimed is attributable to zero-rated sales.82  The
Commissioner of Internal Revenue asserts that CE Luzon
failed to comply with these requirements.83
On the other hand, CE Luzon argues that the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue is estopped from
questioning CE

_______________

77  Id., at p. 236.
78  Id., at p. 237.
79  Id., at pp. 231-232.
80  Id., at p. 232.
 In the Petition docketed as G.R. Nos. 199676-77, the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue assails the June 27, 2011 Amended Decision and
December 1, 2011 Resolution of the Court of Tax Appeals En Banc insofar
as it granted CE Luzon’s second quarter claim for refund of VAT for
taxable year 2003.81
81  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), p. 11.
82  Id., at pp. 28-29.
83  Id., at p. 30.

 
 

603

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 603

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

Luzon’s noncompliance with the documentation

requirements under the law. It points out that its
administrative claim for input VAT for the second quarter
of taxable year 2003 was denied by the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue based on the finding that CE Luzon
presumptively opted to carry over its excess input tax to
the succeeding taxable quarters.84
CE Luzon further contends that non-submission of
complete documents is not fatal to a judicial claim for
refund of input tax.85  The Court of Tax Appeals is not
bound by the conclusions and findings of the Bureau of
Internal Revenue.86
Finally, CE Luzon asserts that it has proven its
entitlement to a refund of input VAT for the second quarter
of 2003.87  First, its judicial claim for refund was timely
filed.88  Second, its sales were effectively zero-rated
transactions under Republic Act No. 9136.89  Third,
although it opted to carry over its excess input tax, its
actual claim was deducted from the total excess input VAT
and was not part of what was carried over to the
succeeding taxable quarters.90  CE Luzon adds that the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue did not identify which
documents it failed to submit.91
This case presents two (2) issues for resolution:
First, whether CE Luzon Geothermal Power, Inc.’s
judicial claims for refund of input Value Added Tax for
taxable year 2003 were filed within the prescriptive
period;92 and
 Finally, whether CE Luzon Geothermal Power, Inc. is
entitled to the refund of input Value-Added Tax for the
second

_______________

84  Id., at pp. 363-364.

85  Id., at pp. 365-367.
86  Id., at p. 369.
87  Id., at p. 370.
88  Id.
89  Id., at p. 371.
90  Id.
91  Id.
92  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), p. 28.

 
 

604

604 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

quarter of taxable year 2003.93  Subsumed in this issue is

whether it has substantiated this claim.94
 
I
 
Excess input tax or creditable input tax is not an
erroneously, excessively, or illegally collected tax.95  Hence,
it is Section 112(C) and not Section 229 of the National
Internal Revenue Code that governs claims for refund of
creditable input tax.
The tax credit system allows a VAT-registered entity to
“credit against or subtract from the VAT charged on its
sales or outputs the VAT paid on its purchases, inputs and
imports.”96
The VAT paid by a VAT-registered entity on its imports
and purchases of goods and services from another VAT-
registered entity refers to input tax.97 On the other hand,

_______________

93  Rollo (G.R. Nos. 199676-77), p. 25.

 94  Id.
95  Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. San Roque Power Corporation,
703 Phil. 310, 365; 690 SCRA 336, 462-463 (2013) [Per J. Carpio, En
Banc].
96   Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Seagate Technology
(Philippines),  491 Phil. 317, 332; 451 SCRA 132, 142 (2005) [Per J.
Panganiban, Third Division].
97  TAX CODE, Sec. 110(A)(3) provides:
Section 110. Tax Credits.—
(A) Creditable Input Tax.—
. . . .
(3) . . . . 
The term “input tax” means the value-added tax due from or paid by a
VAT-registered person in the course of his trade or business on
importation of goods or local purchase of goods or services, including lease
or use of property, from a VAT-registered person. It shall also include the
transitional input tax determined in accordance with Section 111 of this
Code. 
The term “output tax” means the value-added tax due on the sale or
lease of taxable goods or properties or services by any person registered or
required to register under Section 236 of this Code.

 
 

605

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 605

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

output tax refers to the VAT due on the sale of goods,

properties, or services of a VAT-registered person.98
Ordinarily, VAT-registered entities are liable to pay
excess output tax if their input tax is less than their output
tax at any given taxable quarter. However, if the input tax
is greater than the output tax, VAT-registered persons can
carry over the excess input tax to the succeeding taxable
quarter or quarters.99
Nevertheless, if the excess input tax is attributable to
zero-rated or effectively zero-rated transactions, the excess
input tax can only be refunded to the taxpayer or credited
against the taxpayer’s other national internal revenue tax.
Availing any of the two (2) options entail compliance with
the procedure outlined in Section 112,100 not under Section
229, of the National Internal Revenue Code.
Section 229 of the National Internal Revenue Code, in
relation to Section 204(C), pertains to the recovery of
excessively, erroneously, or illegally collected national
internal revenue tax. Sections 204(C) and 229 provide:

Section 204. Authority of the Commissioner to Compromise,

Abate and Refund or Credit Taxes.—The Commissioner may —
. . . .

_______________

98  Id.
99  Id., Sec. 110(B) provides:
SECTION 110. Tax Credits.—
. . . .
(B) Excess Output or Input Tax.—If at the end of any taxable quarter
the output tax exceeds the input tax, the excess shall be paid by the VAT-
registered person. If the input tax exceeds the output tax, the excess shall
be carried over to the succeeding quarter or quarters. Provided, however,
that any input tax attributable to zero-rated sales by a VAT-registered
person may at his option be refunded or credited against other internal
revenue taxes, subject to the provisions of Section 112.
100  Id.

 
 
606

606 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

(C) Credit or refund taxes erroneously or illegally received or

penalties imposed without authority, refund the value of internal
revenue stamps when they are returned in good condition by the
purchaser, and, in his discretion, redeem or change unused
stamps that have been rendered unfit for use and refund their
value upon proof of destruction. No credit or refund of taxes or
penalties shall be allowed unless the taxpayer files in writing
with the Commissioner a claim for credit or refund within two (2)
years after the payment of the tax or penalty: Provided, however,
That a return filed showing an overpayment shall be considered
as a written claim for credit or refund.
. . . .
Section 229. Recovery of Tax Erroneously or Illegally Collected.
—No suit or proceeding shall be maintained in any court for the
recovery of any national internal revenue tax hereafter alleged to
have been erroneously or illegally assessed or collected, or of any
penalty claimed to have been collected without authority, or of
any sum alleged to have been excessively or in any manner
wrongfully collected, until a claim for refund or credit has been
duly filed with the Commissioner; but such suit or proceeding
may be maintained, whether or not such tax, penalty, or sum has
been paid under protest or duress.
In any case, no such suit or proceeding shall be filed after the
expiration of two (2) years from the date of payment of the tax or
penalty regardless of any supervening cause that may arise after
payment:  Provided, however, That the Commissioner may, even
without a written claim therefor, refund or credit any tax, where
on the face of the return upon which payment was made, such
payment appears clearly to have been erroneously paid.

 
The procedure outlined above provides that a claim for
refund of excessively or erroneously collected taxes should
be made within two (2) years from the date the taxes are
paid. Both the administrative and judicial claims should be
brought within the two (2)-year prescriptive period.
Otherwise, they
 
 

607

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 607

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

shall forever be barred.101  However, Section 229

presupposes that the taxes sought to be refunded were
wrongfully paid.102
It is unnecessary to construe and harmonize Sections
112(C) and 229 of the National Internal Revenue Code.
Excess input tax or creditable input tax is not an
excessively, erroneously, or illegally collected tax because
the taxpayer pays the proper amount of input tax at the
time it is collected.103  That a VAT-registered taxpayer
incurs excess input tax does not mean that it was
wrongfully or erroneously paid. It simply means that the
input tax is greater than the output tax, entitling the
taxpayer to carry over the excess input tax to the
succeeding taxable quarters.104  If the excess input tax is
derived from zero-rated or effectively zero-rated
transactions, the taxpayer may either seek a refund of the
excess or apply the excess against its other internal
revenue tax.105
The distinction between “excess input tax” and
“excessively collected taxes” can be understood further by
examining the production process vis-à-vis the VAT
system. In  Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. San
Roque:106

The input VAT is not “excessively” collected as understood

under Section 229 because at the time the input VAT is collected
the amount paid is correct and proper. The input VAT is a tax
liability of, and legally paid by, a VAT-registered seller of goods,
properties or services used as input by another VAT-registered
person in the sale of his own goods, properties, or services. This
tax liability is true even if the seller passes on the input VAT to
the

101   CBK Power Company Limited v. Commissioner of Internal

Revenue, 750 Phil. 748, 762-764; 746 SCRA 93, 108 (2015) [Per J. Perlas-
Bernabe, First Division].
102  Supra note 95 at pp. 368-369; p. 396.
103  Id., at p. 365; p. 396.
104  Tax Code, Sec 110(B).
105  Id., Sec. 112(A).
106   Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. San Roque Power Corp.,
supra note 95.

 
 
608

608 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

buyer as part of the purchase price. The second VAT-registered

person, who is not legally liable for the input VAT, is the one who
applies the input VAT as credit for his own output VAT. If the
input VAT is in fact “excessively” collected as understood under
Section 229, then it is the first VAT-registered person — the
taxpayer who is legally liable and who is deemed to have legally
paid for the input VAT — who can ask for a tax refund or credit
under Section 229 as an ordinary refund or credit outside of the
VAT System. In such event, the second VAT-registered taxpayer
will have no input VAT to offset against his own output VAT.
In a claim for refund or credit of “excess” input VAT under
Section 110(B) and Section 112(A), the input VAT is not
“excessively” collected as understood under Section 229. At the
time of payment of the input VAT the amount paid is the correct
and proper amount. Under the VAT System, there is no claim or
issue that the input VAT is “excessively” collected, that is, that
the input VAT paid is more than what is legally due. The person
legally liable for the input VAT cannot claim that he overpaid the
input VAT by the mere existence of an “excess” input VAT. The
term  “excess” input VAT simply means that the input VAT
available as credit exceeds the output VAT, not that the input VAT
is excessively collected because it is more than what is legally due.
Thus, the taxpayer who legally paid the input VAT cannot claim
for refund or credit of the input VAT as “excessively” collected
under Section 229.107 (Citations omitted, emphasis supplied)

 
Considering that creditable input tax is not an
excessively, erroneously, or illegally collected tax, Section
112(A) and (C) of the National Internal Revenue Code
govern:

Section 112. Refunds or Tax Credits of Input Tax.—

(A) Zero-rated or Effectively Zero-rated Sales.—Any VAT-
registered person, whose sales are zero-rated or effectively zero-
rated may, within two (2) years after the close of the taxable
quarter when the sales were made,

_______________

107  Id., at pp. 365-366; pp. 392-394.

 
 

609

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 609

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
apply for the issuance of a tax credit certificate or refund of
creditable input tax due or paid attributable to such sales, except
transitional input tax, to the extent that such input tax has not
been applied against output tax:  Provided, however, That in the
case of zero-rated sales under Section 106(A)(2)(a)(1), (2) and (B)
and Section 108(B)(1) and (2), the acceptable foreign currency
exchange proceeds thereof had been duly accounted for in
accordance with the rules and regulations of the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas (BSP): Provided, further, That where the taxpayer is
engaged in zero-rated or effectively zero-rated sale and also in
taxable or exempt sale of goods or properties or services, and the
amount of creditable input tax due or paid cannot be directly and
entirely attributed to any one of the transactions, it shall be
allocated proportionately on the basis of the volume of sales . . .
. . . .
(C) Period within which Refund or Tax Credit of Input Taxes
shall be Made.—In proper cases, the Commissioner shall grant a
refund or issue the tax credit certificate for creditable input taxes
within one hundred twenty (120) days from the date of
submission of complete documents in support of the application
filed in accordance with Subsection (A) hereof.
In case of full or partial denial of the claim for tax refund or tax
credit, or the failure on the part of the Commissioner to act on the
application within the period prescribed above, the taxpayer
affected may, within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the
decision denying the claim or after the expiration of the one
hundred twenty-day period, appeal the decision or the unacted
claim with the Court of Tax Appeals.

 
Section 112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code
provides two (2) possible scenarios.108 The first is when the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue denies the
administrative

_______________

108   Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Aichi Forging Company of

Asia, Inc., supra note 38 at p. 732; p. 444.

 
 

610

610 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

 CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

claim for refund within 120 days.109 The second is when the

Commissioner of Internal Revenue fails to act within 120
days.110 Taxpayers must await either for the decision of the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue or for the lapse of 120
days before filing their judicial claims with the Court of
Tax Appeals.111  Failure to observe the 120-day period
renders the judicial claim premature.112
CE Luzon’s reliance on  Atlas  is misplaced
because Atlas did not squarely address the issue regarding
the prescriptive period in filing judicial claims for refund of
creditable input tax.113 Atlas did not expressly or impliedly
interpret Section 112(C) of the National Internal Revenue
Code.114 The main issue in Atlas was the reckoning point of
the two (2)-year prescriptive period stated in Section
112(A).115  The interpretation in  Atlas  was later rectified
in  Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Mirant Pagbilao
Corporation.116
It was  Aichi117  that directly tackled and interpreted
Section 112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code. In
determining whether  Aichi’s judicial claim for refund of
creditable input tax was timely filed, this Court declared:

Section 112(D) of the NIRC clearly provides that the CIR has
“120 days, from the date of the submission of the complete
documents in support of the application [for tax refund/credit],”
within which to grant or deny the claim. In case of full or partial
denial by the CIR, the taxpayer’s re-

_______________

109  Id.
110  Id.
111  Id., at pp. 730-732; p. 435.
112  Id., at p. 732; p. 443.
113  Supra note 95 at pp. 357-358; pp. 390-391.
114  Id., at p. 358; p. 391.
115  Id.
116   586 Phil. 712; 565 SCRA 154 (2008) [Per J. Velasco, Jr., Second
Division].
117   Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Aichi Forging Company of
Asia, Inc., supra note 38 at p. 732; p. 444.

 
  

611

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 611

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

course is to file an appeal before the CTA within 30 days from

receipt of the decision of the CIR. However, if after the 120-day
period the CIR fails to act on the application for tax refund/credit,
the remedy of the taxpayer is to appeal the inaction of the CIR to
CTA within 30 days.
. . . .
Respondent’s assertion that the nonobservance of the 120-day
period is not fatal to the filing of a judicial claim as long as both
the administrative and the judicial claims are filed within the
two-year prescriptive period has no legal basis.
There is nothing in Section 112 of the NIRC to support
respondent’s view. Subsection (A) of the said provision states that
“any VAT-registered person, whose sales are zero-rated or
effectively zero-rated may, within two years after the close of the
taxable quarter when the sales were made, apply for the issuance
of a tax credit certificate or refund of creditable input tax due or
paid attributable to such sales.” The phrase “within two (2) years .
. . apply for the issuance of a tax credit certificate or refund”
refers to applications for refund/credit filed with the CIR and not
to appeals made to the CTA. This is apparent in the first
paragraph of Subsection (D) of the same provision, which states
that the CIR has “120 days from the submission of complete
documents in support of the application filed in accordance with
Subsections (A) and (B)” within which to decide on the claim.118

 
The Aichi  doctrine was reiterated by this Court in  San
Roque,119  which held that the 120-day and 30-day periods
in Section 112(C) of the National Internal Revenue Code
are both mandatory and jurisdictional.120
In the present case, only CE Luzon’s second quarter
claim was filed on time. Its claims for refund of creditable
input tax for the first, third, and fourth quarters of taxable
year 2003

_______________

118  Id., at p. 731; pp. 443-444.

 119  Supra note 95.
120  Id., at p. 371; p. 404.

 
 

612

612 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

were filed prematurely. It did not wait for the

Commissioner of Internal Revenue to render a decision or
for the 120-day period to lapse before elevating its judicial
claim with the Court of Tax Appeals.
However, despite its noncompliance with Section 112(C)
of the National Internal Revenue Code, CE Luzon’s judicial
claims are shielded from the vice of prematurity. It relied
on the Bureau of Internal Revenue Ruling DA-489-
03,121  which expressly states that “a taxpayer-claimant
need not wait for the lapse of the 120-day period before it
could seek judicial relief with the [Court of Tax Appeals] by
way of a Petition for Review.”122
San Roque  exempted taxpayers who had relied on the
Bureau of Internal Revenue Ruling DA-489-03 from the
strict application of Section 112(C) of the National Internal
Revenue Code.123  This Court characterized the Bureau of
Internal Revenue Ruling DA-489-03 as a general
interpretative rule,124 which has “misle[d] all taxpayers
into filing prematurely judicial claims with the C[ourt] [of]
T[ax] A[ppeals].”125  Although the Bureau of Internal
Revenue Ruling DA-489-03 is an “erroneous interpretation
of the law,”126  this Court made an exception explaining
that “[t]axpayers should not be prejudiced by an erroneous
interpretation by the Commissioner, particularly on a
difficult question of law.”127
Taxpayers who have relied on the Bureau of Internal
Revenue Ruling DA-489-03, from its issuance on December
10, 2003 until its reversal on October 6, 2010 by this Court
in Aichi, are, therefore, shielded from the vice of prematur-

_______________

121  Rollo (G.R. No. 197526), pp. 67-68.

122  Id., at p. 68.
 123   Supra note 95 at pp. 372-377; p. 405. See CBK Power Company
Limited v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, supra note 101.
124  Id., at p. 376; p. 404.
125  Id., at p. 373; p. 401.
126  Id., at p. 376; p. 405.
127  Id., at p. 374; p. 403.

 
 

613

VOL. 832, JULY 26, 2017 613

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

ity.128  CE Luzon may claim the benefit of the Bureau of

Internal Revenue Ruling DA-489-03. Its judicial claims for
refund of creditable input tax for the first, third, and fourth
quarters of 2003 should be considered as timely filed.
However, the case should be remanded to the Court of
Tax Appeals for the proper computation of creditable input
tax to which CE Luzon is entitled.
 
II
 
In a Rule 45 Petition, only questions of law may be
raised.129  “This Court is not a trier of facts.”130  The
determination of whether CE Luzon duly substantiated its
claim for refund of creditable input tax for the second
quarter of taxable year 2003 is a factual matter that is
generally beyond the scope of a Petition for Review on
Certiorari. Unless a case falls under any of the exceptions,
this Court will not undertake a factual review and look into
the parties’ evidence and weigh them anew.
In the Petition docketed as G.R. Nos. 199676-77, the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue failed to establish that
this case is exempted from the general rule. Hence, this
Court will no longer disturb the Court of Tax Appeals’
findings on the matter.

_______________

128  Id., at pp. 371-377; p. 405.

129  RULES OF COURT, Rule 45, Sec. 1 provides:
 Section 1. Filing of Petition with Supreme Court.—A party desiring to
appeal by  certiorari  from a judgment or final order or resolution of the
Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, the Regional Trial Court or other
courts whenever authorized by law, may file with the Supreme Court a
verified petition for review on  certiorari.  The petition shall raise only
questions of law which must be distinctly set forth.
130   Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. NLRC,  111
Phil. 268, 274; 319 SCRA 255, 260 (1999) [Per J. Pardo, First
Division], citing Caruncho III v. Commission on Elections, 374 Phil. 308;
315 SCRA 693 (1999) [Per J. Ynares-Santiago, En Banc].

 
 

614

614 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. vs.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue

WHEREFORE, the Petition in G.R. No. 197526 is

GRANTED while the Petition in G.R. Nos. 199676-77 is
DENIED. The Amended Decision dated June 27, 2011 of
the Court of Tax Appeals En Banc in C.T.A. E.B. NO. 554
is REVERSED and SET ASIDE. However, the case is
REMANDED to the Court of Tax Appeals for the
determination and computation of creditable input tax to
which CE Luzon Geothermal Power Company, Inc. is
entitled.
SO ORDERED.

Carpio (Chairperson), Peralta, Mendoza  and  Martires,

JJ., concur.

Petition in G.R. No. 197526 granted while petition in

G.R. Nos. 199676-77 denied, amended decision of Court of
Tax Appeals En Banc reversed and set aside. Case
remanded to Court of Tax Appeals.

Notes.—Prior payment of taxes is not required for a

taxpayer to avail of the 8% transitional input tax credit
provided in Section 105 of the old National Internal
Revenue Code (NIRC) and that petitioner is entitled to it,
despite the fact that petitioner acquired the Global City
property under a tax-free transaction. (Fort Bonifacio
 Development Corporation vs. Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, 740 SCRA 640 [2014])
In a claim for tax credit or refund, it is the taxpayer who
has the burden to prove his cause of action. As such, he
enjoys relative freedom to submit such evidence to prove
his claim. (Pilipinas Total Gas, Inc. vs. Commissioner of
Internal Revenue, 776 SCRA 395 [2015])
 
——o0o——

© Copyright 2018 Central Book Supply, Inc. All rights reserved.