The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Wednesday launched the DARES program, a five-point priority reform agenda aimed at strengthening effective tax payment and improving the agency’s services.

The launch was attended by BIR regional directors from Luzon and marked the formal rollout of reforms focused on modernization, accountability, and public trust.

DARES stands for Digital and Data Transformation; Audit Reform and Accountability; Revenue Collection and Base Protection; Employee Empowerment and Welfare Promotion; and Service Excellence and Stakeholder Engagement.

According to the BIR, the program seeks to enhance voluntary tax compliance while upgrading service delivery through reforms in digitalization, auditing, and revenue monitoring.

BIR Commissioner Charlie Mendoza said audit reform is among the top priorities under DARES, stressing that restoring public confidence is essential to enhancing tax compliance.

Mendoza said several measures will be implemented once tax audits resume, including the launch of a Letter of Authority (LOA) verifier through the chatbot Revie on the BIR website, the adoption of a consolidated “one LOA per taxpayer per year” policy, and the implementation of the Revalida or “audit the auditors” system.

The BIR had earlier suspended the issuance of LOAs following allegations that the process was abused and allegedly used to harass business owners.

Mendoza explained that ongoing initiatives on the digitalization of tax services, audits, and revenue monitoring are designed to support compliance and strengthen revenue collection, which remains the BIR’s primary mandate.