BIR renews partnership on tax admin, compliance with multi-sectoral groups

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Tuesday renewed its partnership with multi-sectoral private organizations on the effective facilitation of consultation between the taxman and the business sector concerning tax policies.

At a signing ceremony at the BIR head office in Quezon City, BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. and representatives of multi-sectoral groups inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA).

The MOA signed was a renewal of the similar accord signed by the BIR and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Practice, Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry, Philippine Exporters Confederation, and the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines in August 2023.

Apart from the original signatories, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Makati Business Club, and Alliance of Tech Innovators for the Nation signed the new pact.

Under the agreement, multi-sectoral representatives will be integrated as part of a working group that would engage in regular dialogue and consultations for drafting of BIR issuances to ensure compliance by taxpayers and enhance tax administration.

"Etong partnership agreement natin with private sectors, makakatulong ito sa mission ng BIR to collect taxes," Lumagui told reporters.

(Our partnership with the private sector will help the BIR achieve its mission to collect taxes.)

"Kasi kung maganda ang cooperation ng BIR sa mga negosyante, siguradong tataas ang compliance at mapapadali natin ang compliance nila at mas mae-encourage sila na magbayad ng tamang buwis," he said.

(If the BIR and businessmen cooperate well, compliance will surely improve and they will be encouraged to pay their proper taxes.)

The taxman chief said the agreement would also help in hitting the BIR's target collection of P3 trillion this year.

However, Lumagui said that hitting the target remains a "challenge" for the BIR.

As of end-July 2024, the BIR collected P1.68 trillion, up 12.7% from P1.49 trillion collected in the same period last year.

"Ang masasabi ko lang, ang growth rate natin ay maganda… Mataas ang growth rate ng koleksyon natin," Lumagui said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News