Philippine Tax Academy set to open in 2018

MANILA, Philippines – The government is set to establish the Philippine Tax Academy next year, aimed at providing government personnel continuous training on tax collection, the finance department said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Republic Act (RA) 10143, which was signed into law 7 years ago, enables the government to build such a learning institution.

“We found that there is a law that was passed maybe 10 years ago that allows the Department of Finance (DOF) to put up a tax academy, so we are going to implement that next year,” Dominguez said in a statement on Sunday, July 16.

He added that the DOF and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is planning to offer courses at the academy starting January 2018. (READ: INFOGRAPHIC: How tax reform hits your favorite drinks)

In Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran’s report to Dominguez during a meeting, he said the Bureau of Customs (BOC), which plans to join the academy, has already submitted its comments on the draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of RA 10143.

USAID assistance

Beltran said the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has expressed its intent to assist the DOF and its attached agencies in identifying the training programs to be offered at the Philippine Tax Academy.

Dominguez said a proposal by BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to set up a Customs Academy would be linked to the Philippine Tax Academy.

He added that the new learning facility could be located at the University of Makati.

“We are already in consultation with the University of Makati to locate initially our campus there,” Dominguez said.

Following suit 

Other countries like Japan, China, India, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia have their respective tax academies, which also train tax and customs authorities, as well as private individuals in taxation and finance assessment and management.

Under RA 10143, the academy “shall develop and implement a curriculum which includes those pertaining to the technical aspects of tax collection, administration, and compliance; and the career orientation and development for civil servants.”

The academy, which will be set up as a corporate body, will also accept selected applicants from the private sector.

The institution’s board of trustees will include representatives from the DOF, BOC, and Bureau of Internal Revenue. The institution will also hire 3 representatives from the academe with at least 5 years of teaching experience in reputable schools. 

The Philippine Tax Academy is authorized by law to enter into consortium agreements and joint venture agreements with the University of the Philippines, public and private universities, as well as training institutions. – Rappler.com