THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) led by Commissioner Romeo Lumagui, Jr., signed recently a historic multi-sectoral Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) partnership with nine business/professional groups to improve taxpayer service.
The signing of the MOA, Commissioner Lumagui said, is part of the BIR’s vision to become a service-oriented and not just a goal-oriented agency.
“This MOA is a historic day for the BIR and the country. In order to make the Philippines a top investment destination, we need to work hand-in-hand with the private sector. We will engage in dialogue with them. I want a BIR that is a service-oriented agency. The more we help make the country business-friendly, the more investments it will create. Ultimately, the more taxes we will collect,” Commissioner Lumagui stated.
The multi-sectoral partners are the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) headed by President George Barcelon; Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP) led by President Atty. Suzette Celicious-Sy; Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) headed by President Atty. Benedicta Du-Baladad, as represented by Governor Benjamin Punongbayan; Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) headed by President Wilson Tan, and represented by Vice President Michael Arcatomy Guarin; the Philippine Institute of Certified of Public Accountants (PICPA) headed by President Atty. Randy Blanza; Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Service and Practice (ACPAPP) led by President Romualdo Murcia III; Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry (ACPACI) headed by President Anna Lissa Chua-Dycaico; Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) headed by Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr.; and the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) represented by Primary Delegate Atty. Mimi Lopez-Malvar.
Barcelon and the other multi-sectoral partners congratulated and thanked the BIR for successfully establishing the group partnership formalized by the MOA signing. “This truly is a groundbreaking event as this MOA is signed by numerous organizations and PCCI is truly honored to be part of this group. By facilitating cooperation between business and government we are taking the necessary steps to building a better nation.”
Prior to the MOA signing, Commissioner Lumagui formed a committee called Partnership with Multi-Sectoral Group or “PMSG” last April 3, 2023 made up of Technical Working Groups (TWGs) from the Project Management and Implementation Service (PMIS), Legal Group, Large Taxpayers Service, Operations Group and the Information Systems Group (ISG).
The MOA will integrate the BIR TWG with the nine members of the group to engage in regular dialogue and consultations for drafting revenue issuances to ensure compliance by taxpayers and enhance tax administration.