The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will hold another hearing this week to examine the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) renewed issuance of letters of authority (LOA) and mission orders (MO), amid ongoing concerns over potential abuse, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Monday.
“The Senate blue ribbon committee needs to be formally informed of the new reforms instituted by the BIR in relation to the issuance of LOAs,” Lacson said.
The committee expects the BIR to provide a formal briefing on reforms implemented after the suspension of audit operations late last year.
“If safeguards are already in place to prevent or at least minimize abuse committed against our taxpayers, then we may have to conclude the committee hearings on the matter,” he added.
Lacson emphasized that the panel will hear directly from tax officials before deciding whether to end its inquiry.
“We will schedule a hearing this week in this regard to hear what the BIR has to say,” he said.
The hearings follow the BIR’s announcement last week that it will resume audit activities, including issuing LOAs and MOs, which were previously paused in November due to allegations of an extortion scheme linked to their use.