Digital overhaul to ease tax compliance

Businesses and taxpayers can expect faster tax transactions, simpler compliance procedures, and tighter safeguards against anomalies as newly appointed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Rolando Ligon Jr. vows to modernize the agency’s systems over the next five years.

Ligon said in a statement on Friday that the planned overhaul will upgrade the bureau’s aging computer infrastructure and integrate data analytics across revenue district offices to improve tax administration, reduce bureaucratic delays and strengthen revenue collection.

“Updating the BIR’s IT infrastructure is the backbone of our digital and data transformation strategy. By modernizing our computer systems, we will eliminate administrative bottlenecks, minimize room for corruption, ensure data integrity, and provide taxpayers with faster, more efficient digital channels,” Ligon said.

The plan is expected to ease compliance costs for businesses by streamlining tax processes while strengthening the government’s ability to detect irregularities and protect revenue collections.

Ligon also pledged to intensify anti-corruption measures while distinguishing compliant taxpayers from deliberate tax evaders.

“We will provide taxpayer assistance to those who want to comply but will apply the full force of the law to those who deliberately dodge payment of taxes,” he said.

The new BIR chief will retain the five-point DARES reform agenda introduced by his predecessor, Charlito Martin Mendoza Jr., covering digital transformation, audit accountability, revenue protection, employee welfare and taxpayer services.

“The public can count on me to focus on building public trust through administrative continuity, rigorous anti-corruption safeguards, and technological upgrades,” Ligon added.

Ligon previously served as Department of Finance undersecretary for the Revenue Operations Group, overseeing policies and performance monitoring for the BIR and Bureau of Customs.

A tax lawyer and certified public accountant, Ligon brings two decades of experience in revenue operations, legal policy and trade compliance.