DOF: E-filers comprise 58% of total tax filers in 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The number of taxpayers who settled their duties online dramatically increased last year, and the figure will likely jump higher this year after the coronavirus pandemic prompts businesses to utilize the government's electronic payment systems to reduce risks of infection.

Citing a report from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Department of Finance on Tuesday said the proportion of taxpayers who filed their taxes electronically jumped to 58% in 2019, more than double the 25% recorded in 2015.

That said, the amount of revenues collected from taxes paid online reached P1.83 trillion last year, up 59% from P1.15 trillion generated by the BIR through its electronic channels in 2015.

“This marks a major breakthrough for the BIR as the tracking data show that more taxpayers filed electronically or online as compared to those who did so by manual filing in 2019,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.

Apart from the bureau's electronic Filing and Payment System (eFPS) and GCash digital platform, the BIR also introduced additional electronic payment channels like PesoNet where taxpayers can pay their tax returns online.

This year, these digital platforms were maximized by taxpayers as they prevent long queues typical during the filing of returns amid virus contagion fears. Preliminary data shows that from January 1 to June 15, the share of e-payment collections to total BIR collections already hit 77%.

“That there are more people who filed their taxes electronically than those who filed their tax returns manually even before COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) struck this year proves that the government has started to reap the fruits of the BIR’s nonstop efforts,” Dominguez said. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral