BIR to implement new OR accreditation process

MANILA, Philippines -  The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is doing a re-engineering of the accreditation of official receipts by companies to prevent face-to-face transactions with BIR employees, a process which may be vulnerable to corruption.

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares said the agency is set to issue a Revenue Memorandum Circular in January next year that would implement a new process for accrediting official receipts of companies.

Under the present system, companies need BIR accreditation before they can use their official receipts.

“We’re doing a process re-engineering on that, so at the end of the day, you will now do everything on web, and we will accredit printers. You order from the printer, and the printer will just send us,” Henares said.

Henares said that starting next year, when a company registers a business, the company would also apply for authority to print invoice.

“For sure, we will improve, re-engineer the system,” she said.

The main difference is that the step-by-step process may be checked online so that the company would know the status of their application.

She said those that do not know how to use the Internet or do not have access to the Internet could go to the BIR once the new system is in place. A BIR staff would then encode the application so that it goes into the system.

Henares also clarified that sales invoice function as official receipt for companies that sell goods.

“For those that sell services, they have to issue official receipt,” she said.

She said the BIR has been receiving complaints that some companies only issue sales invoice and not official receipts.

“If somebody gives a sales invoice that’s registered with the BIR, that’s allowed. If they give you official receipt that’s registered with the BIR, that’s also okay,” she said.