THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is turning towards data analytics in its fight against ghost receipts and tax fraud.
In a press conference at the BIR office in Quezon City yesterday, the tax agency announced its partnership with the Ateneo de Manila University-Math Department for ghost receipts detection.
BIR commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said the partnership has resulted in the creation of a sophisticated algorithm that will identify ghost receipts with remarkable accuracy.
“This algorithm empowers the BIR to identify ghost receipts through mathematics and data analytics. The magnitude by which ghost receipts have become part of the Philippine economy is alarming, due to the lack of detection and enforcement for the past decades. That ends now,” Lumagui said.
Last year, the BIR chief said the total amount of ghost receipts issued so far has already reached P1.3 trillion.
This translate to lost tax revenues of at least P370 billion.
Under the current leadership, the BIR has audited and filed criminal cases against those discovered to have sold and used ghost receipts.
Through its partnership with Ateneo, the BIR said it does not need to conduct raids to continue its Run After Fake Transactions program, as the algorithm developed by the BIR and the Ateneo can detect the likelihood of ghost receipts.
“Buyers, sellers, corporate officers and accountants that are behind this economic sabotage will be held liable,” Lumagui said.
