On July 22, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the simplification of our tax system in his State of the Nation Address (SONA). A lot of government transactions are known to have confusing lines, long waiting lines, and a lot of paperwork.
These were the President’s words. For a couple of minutes, the highest leader of the land has recognized the problem of bureaucracy and how digitizing it is the solution.
“I reiterate my government — my directive to the government and instrumentalities, including the LGUs and the government corporations: simplify. […] Simplify. Just like the others. You can do it electronically. You do not have to go to the office.
[…]
Simplify and make your services responsive to — client-friendly. Your client is a Filipino, our employer — from where the money in our pockets come from, from our salaries.”
All these could be made more modern, faster, and simpler if there is a service for online tax-filing and payment. Fortunately, there is.
JuanTax is not just a solution to a problem, but an innovation that could be applied to other regular government processes too.
So, how can it help Filipinos and the Philippines?
According to a December 2018 ABS-CBN new article, 83% of tax-related transactions are done manually or “over the counter.” What makes this problematic is there are a huge number of taxpayers that live far from their nearest Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Being a Responsible Taxpayer
JuanTax does not just want to make tax filing easier but to have more people to be responsible in handling their taxes. BIR estimates that from 2009 to 2019, at least 80 billion pesos of taxes are uncollected. This amount could have been spent on improving rural hospitals or subsidizing salaries of teachers in upland areas.
Filing and paying our taxes is a civic duty every Filipino must uphold. JuanTax makes it easier and more accessible. There is no better feeling than to do all your taxes from the comfort of your home and with all the forms ready for filing.
Behind a leader that wants to modernize processes are platforms like JuanTax willing to provide solutions. This is a pledge that we, at JuanTax, promised: to always be at service for the Filipinos.