DOF to launch Tax Academy this week

The Department of Finance (DOF) will launch the Philippine Tax Academy (PTA) this week that will initially cater to local treasurers and newly hired employees of the fiscal authorities.

In a report submitted to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, PTA will be launched tomorrow (Tuesday) through a five-day orientation workshop for 52 local treasurers, and 130 newly hired DOF employees along with its attached agencies.

Finance Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran said the goal of PTA is to familiarize these employees with the revenue generation functions of the government.

Beltran said the participants in the inaugural workshop comprise 30 new hires from the DOF, 30 from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), 31 from the Bureau of Customs, 39 from the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), along with 52 local treasurers.

PTA’s initial offering will cover the DOF’s role in government resource mobilization, followed by a briefing on the importance of building the capacity of tax administrators to help boost tax collection efficiency.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will also discuss the Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022 and the Ambisyon Natin 2040.

An overview of the country’s tax policies and administration and the challenges and opportunities facing tax administrators will be discussed by the National Tax Research Center.

The second day will be devoted to discussions on Gender and Development, Public Service Ethics and Accountability, and briefings on Civil Service Commission rules, and employee benefits.

On the third to the fifth and final day of the workshop, the participants will be farmed out to their respective bureaus to familiarize themselves with their new positions and the daily operations of their respective agencies.

Beltran earlier said that the Governance Commission for GovernmentOwned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) has already approved 14 executive positions for the PTA from the President down to the Academy's Business Development Specialist.

The PTA has also applied for accreditation with the Professional Regulation Commission as a Continuing Professional Development provider for Certified Public Accountants, Beltran said.

A Technical Working Group (TWG) for the PTA was also created to recommend programs, projects, and activities for the Academy this year.

The PTA's Implementing Rules and Regulations (PTA-IRR) are now being reviewed by the DOF-Legal Group, according to Beltran.

Beltran said that a planning workshop will also be conducted to draft the interim business strategy of the PTA. "This will also supplement the preparation of the launching program, and roll out," he said.

The DOF, meanwhile, in partnership with the University of the Philippines School of Economics (DOF-UPSE) is offering a public finance postgraduate scholarship program to “produce high quality graduates, and provide DOF its next generation of public finance managers," Beltran said.

This DOF-UPSE Scholarship is a new program under the PTA.

The eligible DOF employees for the program will undertake Master in Economics or Master in Development Economics studies for four semesters of full time-study-leave with pay.

Screening and selection, admission and processing will be from May to June 2018.