By Chino S. Leyco
The Philippine Tax Academy’s (PTA) main campus will rise in the New Clark City in Tarlac near the proposed National Government Administrative Center, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
In a statement, Finance Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran said yesterday that a 10-hectare lot was allotted by the New Clark City’s developer Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) for the PTA.
Beltran also said the PTA is now filling up its positions to get it fully operational after the Governance Commission for Government-owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) approved several plantilla positions for the Academy.
These include several administrative and educational positions for the PTA, Beltran said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.
The PTA currently holds office at the EDPC Building, BSP Complex and conducts its courses and lectures in several venues such as the DOF headquarters in Manila and the Ayuntamiento de Manila building in Intramuros.
The PTA has so far completed the development of 14 competency-based mandatory online studies required for new hires at the Bureau of Customs as well as refresher courses for existing the agency’s employees.
Beltran said the PTA has also completed training courses for the Bureau of Local Government Finance and local treasurers as well as executive courses on revenue mobilization for officials of the DOF and its attached agencies.
He said the course will be recorded and uploaded online to enable employees in remote locations to access it.
Under Republic Act 10143, the PTA “shall serve as a learning institution for tax collectors and administrators of the government and selected applicants from the private sector.”
This law provides that, “All existing officials and personnel of the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), the BOC and the BLGF shall be required to undergo the re-tooling and enhancement seminars and training programs to be conducted by the Philippine Tax Academy.”