The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is accelerating its digital transformation through key modernization programs aimed at streamlining taxpayer services and enhancing transparency, as the agency builds on its strong collection performance in the first half of the year.
“Approximately around 90% of the payments are now online,” BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said in a recent TV interview.
“We’ve been ramping up all these e-services so that people will not have to go to our offices and go to the banks or all those things… you can do it online.”
The BIR is also enhancing its online registration and update system, which currently allows new business registrations and the issuance of digital TIN IDs.
Among the flagship initiatives are the nationwide rollout of e-lounges across district offices—fully equipped hubs where taxpayers can file, pay, and register electronically with the help of dedicated personnel.
“That’s what we’re really proud of right now. Last year, we instructed all the district offices to have e-lounges that would be complete with internet, printers, and everything. So a dedicated examiner will be there to guide and assist the taxpayers,” Lumagui pointed out.
The Commissioner also highlighted upcoming reforms aimed at strengthening real-time monitoring and taxpayer engagement. According to the BIR chief, “one important project is the electronic invoicing because it’s real-time communication between the seller and the buyer and the BIR.”
“So every time a business issues an invoice, it goes directly to our system and goes directly to the customer. So in that sense, we have a real time [system]… we can see the transactions of the taxpayers.”
The BIR is also enhancing its online registration and update system, which currently allows new business registrations and the issuance of digital TIN IDs. These, stressed Lumagui, are part of BIR efforts to go the extra mile to make it easier for taxpayers to settle their tax obligations.
“So the challenge is reaching out to the taxpayers and we’ve been doing that. We are ready to extend even our operating hours just like what happened for the deadline in the estate tax amnesty. Our offices were open until midnight just to accommodate all the last minute applicants for the amnesty.”
The agency recently revealed that it had exceeded its first-half revenue target of ₱1.5 trillion by 0.5%, a result Lumagui credits to the various initiatives being implemented in the Bureau.
