Manila, Sept. 10 -- The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) flagged 842 establishments and sealed 385 unregistered or non-compliant cash registers and point-of-sale (POS) machines during a recent nationwide sweep.

In a statement on Thursday, the BIR reported that its revenue officers evaluated 7,685 businesses and inspected 14,806 sales machines across various regions from Aug. 24 to 28.

"Enforcement is primarily a deterrent. It sends a message to those who deliberately violate the law that there are consequences, and encourages those who have been remiss to return to compliance," BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza said.

"What we want is for taxpayers to correct deficiencies, properly record their sales, and comply moving forward. When an ...