Fujitsu Philippines, Inc.

BIR Signs MOA with LandBank and PNB to Implement e-Payment of Taxes on the Internet

Manila, March 4, 2002 — In its bid to enhance the collection of taxes and improve public service through information technology, the Bureau of Internal Revenue can now offer taxpayers a convenient way of filing and paying their tax returns by just touching a button in the comforts of their home and of their workplace.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Electronic Filing and Payment System (EFPS) was recently signed among the BIR, the Bureau of Treasury and participating banks, LandBank of the Philippines and the Philippine National Bank. This is part of the automated data capture initiative of the BIR with the end view of implementing the provisions of the Republic Act 8792, also known as the e-Commerce Act.

The EFPS is the electronic processing and transmission of tax return information including attachments, and taxes due to the government, made over the Internet through the BIR website: www.bir.gov.ph. The system, in its initial run, pilots 13 tax return forms.

e-Filing uses BIR-supplied validation and computation rules to efficiently check for completeness and correctness of taxpayer inputs. e-Payment, on the other hand, is the on-line payment and confirmation process between the EFPS and participating banks.

Fujitsu Philippines, Inc. (FPI) has been contracted to help the BIR design, develop, and implement the EFPS modules and infrastructure.

To date, 55 large taxpayers are active users of the EFPS. Aside from LandBank and the PNB, six more banks are expected to render e-payment services for the taxpayers in the near future, provided, however, that they comply with the requirement of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

"As the year 2002 unfolds, the initiative of BIR in the latest tax program called the EFPS is key to the dynamic growth of the institution," said Jose Isidro M. Camacho, Secretary of the Department of Finance. "The coming of e-commerce into the country have led the BIR to re-engineer and enhance its operations by using state-of-the art technology to improve public service. In seeking to do away with the traditional paper-based tax filing and payment processing, the BIR adopts this new system as a better and more efficient alternative tool."

For his part, BIR Commissioner Rene G. Bañez said, "The power of the Internet will harness the Philippine tax administration system to make it truly effective and interactive. We are indeed grateful for the support of the Landbank, PNB, and FPI, and the encouragement of the Department of Finance. With the help of participating banks, we will take tax administration one step further into greater efficiency and more active partnership in the current economic recovery."

"The dynamic changes and rapid growth of the Internet and the advent of e-commerce in the country has led many enterprises to re-engineer and improve their operations to gain competitive edge and to simply survive," Felipe R. Manalang, FPI President, claimed. "Government agencies like the BIR are not spared from this challenging dynamism and are now changing the way they implement public service by using state-of-the-art technology. FPI, as its social contribution to the country, is proud to be part of this milestone in the BIR's effort to collect taxes efficiently and effectively and at the least cost to the government."

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About Fujitsu Philippines, Inc.

Fujitsu Philippines Inc. (FPI) is a leading system integrator of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions for Philippine enterprises. With over one thousand full-time Filipino technology professionals and more than 25 years of operations in the country, FPI is uniquely positioned to apply the best-of-breed technology solutions to assist its customers in solving complex business problems. By leveraging the collective expertise, experience, and work ethics of its workforce, FPI has an unmatched track record in designing, building, implementing, and maintaining ICT solutions, especially in difficult projects with complex technology architectures, nation-wide geographic scope, and tight implementation schedules. FPI is an affiliate of Fujitsu Limited headquartered in Tokyo, which reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (about US$38 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003.
For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/ph/

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