DoF launches tax academy

THE Department of Finance (DoF) launched on Tuesday the Philippine Tax Academy (PTA) to sharpen the commitment of revenue collectors and administrators, and raise their ethical standards.

According to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd, his department took a great leap forward in professionalizing revenue agencies by establishing PTA eight years after it was envisioned in Republic Act 10143.

“This will be a multidimensional educational and research institution. It will play a key role in the culture change we seek to achieve in our revenue agencies,” Dominguez said during the academy’s launch in Manila.

“Through the PTA, we could aspire for a cluster of revenue agencies equipped with the best skills available and imbued with the most admirable ethical norms possible,” he added.

“There is much promise in this institution we inaugurate today. There is much expectation invested in it,” the Finance chief said.

“I am confident the professional staff we already have will benefit greatly from a culture of constant innovation, ceaseless learning and untiring reinvigoration,” he added.

As a specialized training facility, PTA will pave the way for the continuing professional development of the country’s revenue personnel by, among others, providing them with “information on best revenue practices in other parts of the globe and raising ethical standards across the board,” Dominguez said.

“Our goal, as (Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner) Billy Dulay said, is that the graduates here are going to be better than CPAs (certified public accountants),” he added.

Dominguez said he expects PTA to collect information from all over the world and build strong linkages between research and education, while ensuring “complementarity between professional training and professional management.”

He also wants the academy to help develop cooperation with other professional associations, development and funding institutions, and foreign governments.