The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is taking its digital tax reforms to regional offices next month while developing an artificial intelligence-powered assistant designed to make decades of tax rules easier to search and understand.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said the Taxpayer Portal, currently being rolled out to the Large Taxpayers Service, will expand to regional offices in October 2026 under the bureau’s DARES reform agenda.
The wider rollout is aimed at streamlining taxpayer transactions and cutting compliance burdens as the BIR modernizes tax administration.
The bureau is also developing “Terry,” an AI-powered tax research assistant that can retrieve, cross-reference and analyze BIR revenue issuances dating back to 1905.
The tool could significantly speed up tax research for accountants, businesses and tax practitioners dealing with a regulatory record spanning more than a century. Terry will first undergo internal stress testing before the BIR considers opening the system to external users.
The BIR is working with Ateneo de Manila University on data science initiatives as it pushes deeper into digital transformation.
Mendoza also said the bureau is advancing its Electronic Invoicing System and rolling out a revised audit program incorporating feedback from stakeholders and stronger accountability measures.
He made the remarks at the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Metro Manila Region Tax Conference on September 16, where he called for closer cooperation between the tax authority and the professionals and businesses it regulates.
“Beyond compliance is partnership—our partnership with you, our stakeholders,” Mendoza said.
The initiatives point to a broader shift in the BIR’s approach: moving routine taxpayer services online, using AI to make regulatory information more accessible, and tightening audit processes at the same time.
For businesses, the changes could mean faster access to tax services and information—but also a more digitally enabled tax administration as the bureau strengthens its compliance systems.
