Manila: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with various business groups, professional organizations, foreign chambers, and industry associations to renew and expand its multi-sectoral consultative mechanism. This initiative is aimed at strengthening tax administration reforms.
According to Philippines News Agency, the agreement, signed on Tuesday, renews the partnership with the Multi-Sectoral Group (BIR-PMSG), a platform for dialogue and collaboration between the tax agency and private sector stakeholders. The renewed agreement expands the BIR-PMSG's membership from 12 to 15 organizations, now including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce in the Philippines (FICCI), the Philippine Institute of Petroleum (PIP), and the Swiss Chamber of the Philippines (SwissCham).
The BIR-PMSG is composed of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP), Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry (ACPACI), Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Practice (ACPAPP), Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PHILEXPORT), Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC), Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), Makati Business Club (MBC), and Alliance of Tech Innovators for the Nation (ATIN).
Established in 2023, the BIR-PMSG serves as a structured venue for discussions on tax administration issues, taxpayer services, compliance concerns, and proposed reforms. BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza emphasized that the renewed partnership builds on the group's active role in helping shape reforms under BIR DARES, the bureau's five-point priority reform agenda.
Under the renewed MOA, the BIR and its private sector partners will continue to work together on several fronts, including tax administration reforms, taxpayer services, compliance issues, digitalization, ease of paying taxes, and ease-of-doing-business initiatives. Mendoza highlighted the importance of the PMSG in stress-testing proposals, challenging assumptions, and refining reforms before implementation. He assured stakeholders of continued engagement with the private sector to address concerns and review major reforms thoroughly before implementation.
