New reforms at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) could bring much-needed predictability to the country’s business environment and help draw in investors, according to a prominent industry group.

In a statement, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) said the reforms presented during last week’s “Big Bold Reforms” event will help rebuild trust in the country’s tax and trade system.

At the forum, Finance Secretary Frederick Go announced that the BIR will fully transition to a digitized, risk-based, and data-driven system.

FPI said this builds on the BIR’s Digital Transformation (DX) Roadmap 2025-2028, which seeks to transform the way taxes are enforced.

The umbrella group of local manufacturers and producers noted that the letter of authority (LOA), which was suspended last November, often leads to “harassment and confusion.”

An LOA allows revenue officers to examine a taxpayer’s books and records.

“The new roadmap promises a different approach: audits chosen by data, not discretion,” FPI said.

“Artificial intelligence (AI) will flag risks, information and communications technology (ICT) systems will be upgraded, and taxpayer portals modernized,” it added.

If this roadmap is followed through, the group said the BIR will become a system where compliance is predictable and less prone to abuse.

Last week, Go also announced the signing of the National Single Window Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP), which will consolidate all trade requirements at the BOC into a single digital portal.

He said countries that have implemented this system have seen a surge in clearance times and export competitiveness, as the portal cuts red tape, reduces delays, and lowers costs.

NSW-ITFP is expected to be rolled out in phases to ensure seamless adoption across the entire trade ecosystem.

Currently, FPI said importers and exporters used to shuffle between government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to secure permits and clearances.

“Each agency had its own forms, its own queues, its own delays. The NSW-ITFP promises to end that fragmentation,” the group said.

The online portal will connect businesses to 76 agencies and offices involved in trade, with the processing of permits and approvals envisioned to be done in minutes instead of weeks.

FPI said this will significantly lower transaction costs for businesses, while also improving supply chain reliability given faster clearance.

The group noted that this will also allow the country to catch up with its peers in the region that have already adopted the system to streamline cross-border trade.

“The Philippines is in catch-up mode and its success will depend on execution,” FPI said.

Through these critical reforms, the industry group said they would restore investor confidence by reducing unpredictability in both taxation and trade.

“If these roadmaps are delivered faithfully, they could mark a turning point—where businesses no longer see government processes as obstacles, but as enablers of growth,” it added.