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A new revenue memorandum order was issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) requiring all revenue agencies to maintain a Taxpayers’ Service Area (TSA) within their premises. BIR Commissioner Sixto Esquivias IV said that the service counters would be one-stop centers and would serve as reception areas for taxpayers who are transacting with the agency.

BIR has also made an agreement with the private sector for the successful implementation of the project in a program called Handang Maglingkod Project (HMP). This project ties the agency with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

The project, according to the revenue memorandum order, seeks to enhance the delivery of fast, efficient and courteous frontline services to taxpayers and in the process contribute to the promotion of better voluntary compliance.

Esquivias said, “The project should make our front liners more pro-active, caring, attentive to taxpayers and engaged in the highest level of customer service.” That is because HMP would provide feedback to the BIR top management on the level of customer satisfaction, issues and concerns of taxpayers and resolutions for these issues.

The BIR chief also said, “records reveal that the most efficient and effective approach to collecting higher revenues is by promoting greater voluntary compliance.”

With the project providing some sort of competition among revenue district offices and BIR offices rendering service to taxpayers, Esquivias said that it could eventually lead to promotions or better assignments for the different officers.