THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) announced on Wednesday that it has issued about 100,000 Digital taxpayer identification number (TIN) IDs as part of its digitalization efforts to improve taxpayer service.
In a statement issued last Wednesday, the BIR said it issued a total of 102,046 Digital TIN IDs, as of March 25, 2024, through the bureau’s “Online Registration and Update System,” or “Orus,” reaching a “significant milestone” in the first quarter of the year.
Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. said the digitalization of TIN ID is in line with the national government’s thrust to promote the “ease of doing business.”
“Reaching the 100,000 mark for Digital TIN IDs issued by the BIR shows our effort to promote excellent taxpayer service and expand our digital services to taxpayers,” Lumagui was quoted in the statement as saying.
The BIR said the process of securing a TIN was “streamlined and made easier” by providing “convenient” online access to taxpayers that is available 24/7.
It added that taxpayers can get their TIN in the comfort of their own homes or offices and need not go and line up in the Revenue District Offices (RDO) anymore. The BIR added that taxpayers with Digital TIN IDs are not required to secure a physical TIN card.
Individual taxpayers with existing TIN, with or without issued physical TIN card, who wish to apply for a Digital TIN ID may enroll first in its “Orus” (https://orus.bir.gov.ph), the tax collecting agency said.
Taxpayers with existing TIN are required to update their email addresses by sending an accomplished BIR Form S1905 through email to their concerned RDO or through the BIR’s “Taxpayer Registration Related Application” portal at www.bir.gov.ph.
The BIR noted that the Digital TIN ID is free and not for sale, and further warned that taxpayers are at risk of the possibility of getting an invalid or fake TIN and incorrect taxpayer type classification when availing the services of online sellers of TIN ID assistance, which may affect their future transactions with the BIR.
The Bureau further said the Digital TIN ID is not a temporary TIN ID as both the physical TIN card and Digital TIN ID are valid and can be presented as proof of TIN ownership, subject to authentication and verification online.
The Digital TIN ID is a valid government-issued identification document that taxpayers can use for their transactions in government agencies and institutions, local government units, employers, banks, financial institutions and other relying parties, subject to authentication and verification, the BIR said.
The authenticity of the Digital TIN ID can be verified online through the Orus by scanning the Quick Response Code appearing in the Digital TIN ID using a mobile device camera, it added.