BIR piloting e-receipts system

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said that it is piloting the use of an electronic invoicing system and issuance of e-receipts for select 100 large taxpayers.

In the latest episode of The Mangahas Interviews, BIR Commissioner Lilia Guillermo said the move will help them fast track the invoice and receipt for business and taxpayers.

“Yung e-receipt at invoicing na ni-launch pang-pilot muna namin sa 100 large taxpayers. Yung mayroon pang mga may manual receipts, sabi nga, wala na yung validity ng five years, of course pwede pa iyan gamitin,” Guillermo told veteran journalist Malou Mangahas.

(The e-receipt and invoicing that we launched was piloted for 100 large taxpayers. Those who still have manual receipts, which they say, no longer have the five-year validity, of course that can still be used.)

“But kapag successful na yung pilot namin ng e-receipts and invoice, we are towards mandating the use of receipts electronically, para wala ng mga papel,” she added.

(But when the pilot of e-receipts and invoices is successful, we are towards mandating the use of receipts electronically, so that we would no longer use paper.)

Guillermo said that the use of the electronic invoicing system is expected to be expanded by next year, but stressed that the bureau should be ready with the infrastructure needed to maintain such system.

Due to the clamor of some taxpayers, the BIR has earlier extended the validity of receipts and invoices, doing away with the five-year validity period.

The BIR said some taxpayers clamored that they incurred additional costs in printing new sets of manual receipts or invoices once the five-year validity already lapsed despite the remaining inventory of the said receipts and invoices.

Digital transformation

Meanwhile, Guillermo bared that the bureau is planning to go digital in their transactions to better serve taxpayers.

To achieve this, she said the bureau plans to train its workforce to make them digitally ready.

“Isa sa mga focus natin is to build capability among the BIR workforce to make them digital to the core and make them serve the citizens efficiently with honesty and integrity,” the commissioner said.

“So hindi lang lahat tungkol sa applications ito, infrastructures at simplification of processes. Ito rin ay tungkol sa digitally transformed workforce of BIR,” she added.

(So, it's not just all about applications, infrastructures, and simplification of processes. It is also about the digitally transformed workforce of BIR.)

“Web-based training will be made available, webinars, online trainings… and with corresponding exams… kung how well these staff understand what digital transformation is all about,” she said.

The BIR chief said that she wants to achieve 30% of the digital transformation projects in her first 100 days.

“Yung 100 days ko is really seeing to it that kung ano na ang mga naumpisahan dito sa BIR na digital transformation projects ay masustain at ma-maintain. Hindi maging ningas-kugon and correspondingly ano ang magiging outcome,” she said.

(My 100 days is really seeing to it that what has started here in BIR in terms of digital transformation projects can be sustained and maintained, not be ningas-kugon and correspondingly keep track of what would be the outcomes.)

“Yung outcome na yun ay increase revenue collection, widening the tax-based, simplification of collection processes and capability building for the entire force of BIR in so far digitalization is concern. The first 100 days may be 30% of that, we can achieve,” she furthered.—LDF, GMA News