Government launches online one-stop shop for business registration

MANILA, Philippines — The government has launched the first phase of the Central Business Portal (CBP), a one-stop shop online system for business registration, according the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The CBP is a single website for obtaining business-related information and carrying out transactions such as registering a corporation, and securing business permits and licenses.

In the initial phase of its implementation, the CBP can be used for transactions for domestic corporations.

The portal provides a unified application form for all agencies involved in the business registration process such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, BIR, Social Security System, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG Fund.

Thus, citizens who are registering a corporation no longer need to accomplish and file several registration forms in different government agencies.

“It will make delays, bureaucratic gridlocks and inefficiencies a thing of the past. It will likewise put more taxpayers into the tax net, thereby strengthening revenue collection efforts, and eventually pump more lifeblood into the veins of government operations,” Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay said.

Among the tax-related features of the CBP are online issuance of the Taxpayer Identification Number of new corporations; identification of the national internal revenue taxes that the new corporations will be liable for; online payment of the annual registration fee and loose Documentary Stamp Tax, and generation of the BIR electronic Certificate of Registration (COR).

The electronic COR bears a Quick Response or QR Code that serves as a security feature to prove authenticity of the COR.

After securing the electronic COR, taxpayers should proceed to the Revenue District Office (RDO) indicated in the COR to buy their BIR printed receipts needed to start business operations. Otherwise, they may apply for authority to print their own receipts.

New corporations registering through CBP are likewise given an option to pay ARF and loose DST manually.

If this option is chosen, however, they shall complete the business registration process at the respective RDO by submitting the printed CBP-generated documents.

The CBP was created in accordance with the Ease of Doing Business Act and was spearheaded by the Anti-Red Tape Authority.