Government Connectivity

Technology is at work in the government where it matters most… Tax Collection.

It is from the BIR that I have heard and seen the use of technology in their everyday transactions. They use computers to “match” the data from the taxpayers. Any discrepancy therein may lead to an audit investigation of that company. They process from their computers which documents you have failed to submit, even dating back to the mid-90s (that’s the farthest that I have seen firsthand). They can even cross reference data with the Bureau of Customs, checking who declared their importations or not. They also have the Electronic Filing and Payment System where you can file your returns online, as well as pay for it through e-banking. But the problem is, during deadlines, the system is very very very slow and could hardly cope with the traffic.

We can only hope that progress can be had in making it easier for the citizens to use government portals as well as the “manual” means.